Sean Moloughney, Editor12.01.14
While the shift from disease management to preventive medicine has been taking root in the U.S. healthcare system, a new consumer dynamic has emerged over the past decade.
As noted in a recent blog post by the Hartman Group, a substantial and growing number of consumers are not just focused on preventive health, but proactive wellness. “Consumers’ wellness lifestyles are driven by personal practices of self-assessment and ongoing self-management. While fresh foods and good digestion are the dominant consumer route to health and wellness today, being active, staying connected and resting well enable consumers to live the type of lives that they desire.” So it’s not just about preventing heart disease or diabetes. It’s more about the lifestyle path that will lead to total wellness.
Meanwhile, according to the Hartman Group’s new “Organic and Natural 2014” report, 73% of consumers now buy organic products, and more than a third use them at least monthly. However, people are skeptical about the integrity of the organic certification and highly processed products bearing the label.
What are discerning consumers to do? Well, people are turning toward local, “which is poised to surpass both organic and natural as a symbol of transparency and trust,” according to the Hartman Group. In fact, local food and direct marketing opportunities, including farmers markets, are one of the fastest growing segments of agriculture, according to the USDA.
The Hartman Group’s Organic and Natural report also indicated that consumers distinguish between natural as an ideal and natural as a marketing term. “For consumers, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have become a potent symbol of the ills of the American food system. More than organic or natural, GMOs touch on nerves of deepening mistrust of big companies and governmental institutions. It’s important that food companies speak up about the issue now or risk losing relevance and credibility as others start to shape the conversation.”
In many ways that dialogue is at a critical juncture. In my opinion, transparency and trust are much stronger allies than opacity and deception.
If you’re looking for a partner you can trust, you’ve come to the right place. Our December issue features a directory of hundreds of prominent industry companies that can deliver everything from acai to zinc, and blending machinery to testing services. Here's a link to guide you throught the listings. If it’s transparency and honesty you’re after, this issue also contains our Annual State of the Industry, complete with advice, perspectives and predictions from some of the top experts in the industry today.
Overall, the global health and wellness industry has grown by 6.75% in current value terms to reach $774 billion in 2014, according to market research firm Euromonitor International. Now might be a good time to read the tea leaves and review your future business plans.
As noted in a recent blog post by the Hartman Group, a substantial and growing number of consumers are not just focused on preventive health, but proactive wellness. “Consumers’ wellness lifestyles are driven by personal practices of self-assessment and ongoing self-management. While fresh foods and good digestion are the dominant consumer route to health and wellness today, being active, staying connected and resting well enable consumers to live the type of lives that they desire.” So it’s not just about preventing heart disease or diabetes. It’s more about the lifestyle path that will lead to total wellness.
Meanwhile, according to the Hartman Group’s new “Organic and Natural 2014” report, 73% of consumers now buy organic products, and more than a third use them at least monthly. However, people are skeptical about the integrity of the organic certification and highly processed products bearing the label.
What are discerning consumers to do? Well, people are turning toward local, “which is poised to surpass both organic and natural as a symbol of transparency and trust,” according to the Hartman Group. In fact, local food and direct marketing opportunities, including farmers markets, are one of the fastest growing segments of agriculture, according to the USDA.
The Hartman Group’s Organic and Natural report also indicated that consumers distinguish between natural as an ideal and natural as a marketing term. “For consumers, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have become a potent symbol of the ills of the American food system. More than organic or natural, GMOs touch on nerves of deepening mistrust of big companies and governmental institutions. It’s important that food companies speak up about the issue now or risk losing relevance and credibility as others start to shape the conversation.”
In many ways that dialogue is at a critical juncture. In my opinion, transparency and trust are much stronger allies than opacity and deception.
If you’re looking for a partner you can trust, you’ve come to the right place. Our December issue features a directory of hundreds of prominent industry companies that can deliver everything from acai to zinc, and blending machinery to testing services. Here's a link to guide you throught the listings. If it’s transparency and honesty you’re after, this issue also contains our Annual State of the Industry, complete with advice, perspectives and predictions from some of the top experts in the industry today.
Overall, the global health and wellness industry has grown by 6.75% in current value terms to reach $774 billion in 2014, according to market research firm Euromonitor International. Now might be a good time to read the tea leaves and review your future business plans.
