Meat + Poultry - September 2006 - 10

Commentary

Investing in educating
It will take more than product development expertise for food manufacturers to succeed in the burgeoning health
and wellness category. It is becoming
clearer that many consumers are confused by the concepts of nutrition and
maintaining a healthy diet. Successful
food companies may fi nd investing in
nutrition education is as important as
investing in new product research and
development.
Perhaps one of the more disturbing
nutrition studies recently published appeared in the Journal of the American
Dietetic Association this month. It was
conducted by researchers at Rutgers
Univ. and shows how food portion sizes
have grown in the past 20 years. The researchers copied a study conducted 20
years ago, in which participants were
asked to serve themselves the amount
of food they considered to be a typical
portion of a specific meal item.
Apparently, consumers' eyes have
become bigger than their stomachs,
which helps explain why their bellies
have grown too. Compared to 20 years
ago, less than 45 percent of the breakfast portions selected were within 25
percent of the reference portion size.
For lunch and dinner meals, approximately 30 percent of the portions were
within 25 percent of the reference portion size.
The fact many consumers do not understand how much food their bodies
need indicates an opportunity for food
companies to educate them on how they
may improve their diet and health. Forward-thinking companies will look beyond what they can sell to consumers
and consider how they can help consumers improve their diet.
Compared to the beverage and grainbased foods businesses, the meat and
poultry industry has been slow to embrace the health and wellness trend.
While companies like Nestle, Kraft
Foods, Kellogg Co. and Sara Lee Corp.
10

MEAT&POULTRY

September 2006

have made it an integral part of their
strategies, meat processors have been
slow to respond.
However, as obesity continues to become a societal burden, meat companies looking for new opportunities may
find growth areas in these categories.
Those companies taking the leap will
should focus on how they can help consumers improve their diet.
One such company is Nestle. In an
interview with the Financial Times

Companies that
incorporate nutrition
education into their
business strategy will
do more than sell
products; they will
gain consumer loyalty,
which is a valuable
competitive advantage.
earlier this month, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chairman and C.E.O., outlined
the company's plan for growth by leveraging nutrition education with product development. Brabeck-Letmathe
told the newspaper he sees nutrition,
which involves the development of
healthy products and adding-healthoriented services, as a key to boosting
future growth.
"There is a fundamental transformation of the company taking place; (nutrition) is the word that best embraces
what is going on," he said.
At the company, nutrition has been
elevated to divisional status. The division is built around three global businesses - infant nutrition, healthcare
nutrition and performance nutrition.
In June, Nestle added Jenny Craig to
www.MEATPOULTRY.com

its corporate mix. The weight-management company combines product
development with nutrition education
services.
Following the Jenny Craig acquisition, Brabeck-Letmathe's comments
underscored how he views nutrition
when he said, "The rise of obesity and
the resulting metabolic disorders, such
as diabetes and cardiovascular disease,
is a major public health concern, not
only in the U.S.A. but also the world
over. The Jenny Craig acquisition puts
us in a privileged position to help many
of our consumers."
Food companies cannot help consumers without providing some form of nutrition education. It is not enough to say
a product or brand is "good for you."
Future success in health and wellness
will require companies to know more
about their target customer and provide them with information they can
use to maintain a healthy diet. Companies that incorporate nutrition education into their business strategy will do
more than sell products; they will gain
consumer loyalty, which is a valuable
competitive advantage.
- By Keith Nunes, Executive editor
knunes@sosland.com

Editor's Note: The readers have
spoken and we listened. Please
see our latest editorial addition to
MEAT&POULTRY debuting in this
issue. "Sanitation Tips," is a bimonthly series of Spanish-translated recommendations targeting team
members of plant sanitation crews.
According to a recent readership survey, diversity in the workplace continues to create communication hurdles. Readers asked for an in-plant
communication tool, starting with
the sanitation crews. Our answer to
their request is "Sanitation Tips."
See Page 68. -J.C.

http://www.MEATPOULTRY.com

Meat + Poultry - September 2006

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