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European
Diet Industry, Dieters Grow Fat
Europe's $100 billion market for slimming products just
keeps on swelling--and it's not just the food manufacturers
who are getting fatter. Research from analysts Datamonitor
showed Wednesday that fewer than one dieter in 50 achieves
permanent weight loss, even though each year dieters in
the European Union spend the equivalent of the economic
output of Morocco in the effort.
Datamonitor estimates that 231 million people in the European
Union attempted a diet in 2002, but less than four million
will succeed in keeping their new, trimmer figures for more
than a year.
Whether it's the German fondness for sausages and beer or
the fact that it is Western Europe's most populous nation,
the German market for slimming products is Europe's largest,
weighing in at 19.55 billion euros last year.
Meanwhile, Britons combat their obsession for fish and chips
with 15.6 billion euros worth of diet products, and the
gourmets of Italy and France spend 14.1 billion and 13.8
billion euros respectively on eating themselves thin.
The sheer scale and complete failure of this costly battle
to get slim is not down to shortcomings in the products
themselves but to the unrealistic expectations of the consumer,
Datamonitor said.
While the research firm described some of the makers of
dietary pills and supplements as "less than scrupulous,"
Datamonitor analyst Lawrence Gould told Reuters the industry's
real problem was in failing to provide clear, consistent
information to customers. "It's a lack of concerted
effort, not a cynical ploy," he said.
SLIMMER MARKET GROWTH
Most of the slimming products flying off the shelves of
the continent's supermarkets and drugstores take the form
of fat-reduced versions of ordinary foodstuffs, with liquid
meal replacements and the like accounting for just a small
part.
But although low-fat milk, porous bread and odd-tasting
chocolate bars now make up a significant proportion of the
average European shopping basket, growth in the total slimming
market is estimated at just 1.7% per year over the coming
five years.
Consequently, Gould says that producers--and not least the
retailers--need to educate consumers that it's not enough
just to spend a month or two on the low-calorie, high-margin
products, but that they actually must change their lifestyles.
"The message that dieters need to receive is that a
diet alone is not a long-term solution to excessive weight,"
he said, adding that manufacturers could use more accurate
information to create brand loyalty for their other ranges.
"If manufacturers were to increase the success rate
of dieting by just a bit, market growth would be much higher
as you regained consumer confidence. Encourage customer
loyalty. It's actually in everybody's interest to do this."
Article Source: Reuters Health
Article Author: Trevor Datson
Net Reference 89
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