by WTN Staff

Market research firm The Nielsen Company has released the first three parts in its five-part series, Healthy Eating Trends and Myths. The overview at the eating trends of Americans in 2009 includes some useful insights for people in the business of making and selling tea.

For the three parts of the series that were devoted to healthy eating trends, Tom Pirovano, director of industry insights for Nielsen, looked specifically at consumption of foods making health claims, loyalty to organic products and the cost of eating healthy.

Part 1, Commitment Trumps the Economic Pinch, asserts that – despite the recession and contrary to predictions – U.S. consumers are spending rising amounts of money on products that make health claims. Health claims that topped the list with double-digit growth in sales included antioxidants, calcium, fiber and low glycemic, gluten-free, omega (mega 3 fatty acids), high fructose corn syrup-free, no salt/sodium added, and probiotic.

Most notable to producers and purveyors of tea, which is high in antioxidants: products bearing the health claim "antioxidant" saw a 29-percent increase in dollar sales in 2009 compared with 2008. The "natural" claim also held its own last year, rising 4 percent to $22.8 billion in sales, according to Nielsen.

The title of Part 2 of the series, Organic Enthusiasts Remain Loyal, doesn't tell the whole story. Sales of organic products did rise in 2009, according to Nielsen, but the pace of growth has slowed, most likely due to the recession. While sales of organic products grew 132 percent from 2004 to 2008, they grew only 16 percent in 2008 and 2 percent in 2009.

Still, the sector couldn't be described as suffering. Sales of organic products through food, drug and mass merchants last year totaled $4.7 billion, Nielsen said.

Finally, Part 3 concluded, Eating Healthy Doesn't Have to Cost More. "One common misconception heard frequently is that the healthy eating has become too expensive," Pirovano noted, "that the struggling economy has driven U.S. families to make poor nutritional choices."

In truth, he added, according to Nielsen research, low-cost alternatives are readily available, fast food value meals can't compete with supermarket pricing, the lowest cost beverage solution (water) is the most healthful and eating poorly almost always costs more.

To read all three reports in full, click here.