What Does Ultra-Processed Mean? Consumers Speak -On-demand

Consumers get confused when they hear influencers exhort or condemn a food, ingredient or food category as affecting their health.  “Ultra processed,” as applied to food, is one of those confusing issues.  It has been hot in both the technical and popular press recently, with strong assertions about negative health effects, but what does it mean to consumers and how is it impacting their food buying behavior?

So, what do consumers think?  We applied Qual@Scale segmentation to understand U.S. consumer health and wellness concerns and behaviors, especially around “ultra-processed” foods.

We’ll explore:

• The confusion around ultra-processed foods and their health effects
• Current health concerns for themselves and others.
  How to spur healthier consumer habits by aligning products with consumer behavior (going beyond liking)
• How making highly palatable food has unintentionally contributed to the obesity epidemic

Here are the highlights:

00:04:35   History of Ultra Processed naming 

00:08:15   Consumer study design 

00:10:49   Survey results

00:11:15    Three consumer segments identified 

00:21:45   Summary of insights 

00:26:44  Opportunities for the food industry

00:30:02  Q&A- Demographic difference between segments?

00:30:57   Which segments don’t care much about UF?

00:32:37   Factors that may change UP food consumer behavior

Learn how to empower consumers to make informed choices by promoting slower eating and healthier habits.