Timely Topics

Nothing makes me happier than seeing our editorial lineup dovetail with the hot trends in product development. (OK, that’s an exaggeration, my life is not that devoid of other interests, but it does make me pretty happy.) Since we set up the schedule far in advance, it’s not always easy to pick the winners, and we rely mainly on the expertise of our staff and our writers, plus some industry input, rather than any high-tech, sophisticated trend-spotting research on consumers’ future preferences.

When companies who do perform high-tech, sophisticated trend-spotting research validate our choices, however, it provides the same satisfaction you might get in seeing your last project generate blockbuster sales. So when ACNielsen, who calls itself “the world’s leading authority on consumer behavior,” announces its health and wellness predictions for the coming year and indicates low-GI (glycemic index) products are likely to hit it big, we know we’re on the right track.

Earlier this year, we visited the debate over GI and its related disciplines that mirrored our concerns about the techniques and technology: Is it scientifically valid (all indications say yes) and, perhaps more importantly, will the consumer get it? The latter appears more difficult to answer. Yet ACNielsen points to its analysis, which shows sales of GI products among a market group it calls “neglectors” (comprising about 50% of all Americans who care little about their health and tend to be overweight) increased almost 150% from Dec. 2004 to Dec. 2005, and determined this was one of the biggest jumps among all health-related claims. “Any new food trend needs to get at least some traction among this mainstream group to truly break out,” said Libbey Paul, senior vice president of marketing of ACNielsen’s Spectra group.

Whether U.S. consumers actually embrace—let alone understand —the concept is still a matter of conjecture. However, market watchers are spotting some hopeful signs: Kraft’s South Beach Diet line, which the company is calling a success, recommends eating “right carbs, which are the slower digesting, nutrient-rich carbohydrates that contain fiber or whole grains.” Sales of wholegrain products are trending up. Market-research publisher Packaged Facts predicts that one route to increase weight-loss-product sales in the wake of the low-carb collapse is by combining low- and nosugar and low-GI with indulgence, especially dessert and candy.

And our mission is to help, whether it’s this month’s look at fiber, whole grains and sugar replacement, or next month’s issue, where we enlist the aid of a nutrition expert to help identify the best formulation strategies for maintaining optimum blood-sugar levels. The technology to make tasty, good-for-you products is improving every day. Now, how can we get those wacky consumers to understand that they really can’t lose weight eating 4,000 calories per day?