Latest government statistics indicate nearly 70% of American adults and almost 32% of the country's school-age children and adolescents are either overweight or obese, with some projections forecasting 37% of adults could be classified as obese by 2013 and 43% by 2018.
Packaged Facts analyzed the range of foods and beverages introduced between 2005-2009, and somewhat contrary to what may seem to be one of the industry's biggest trends, it found the leading weight-management claim was "low calorie," which ranked 12th in 2009, with 541 package mentions. In fact, calorie information may not hold much importance in consumers’ minds. An NYU School of Medicine study examined the effect of calorie labeling upon purchase patterns. Teens, the study found, notice the calorie information at the same rate as adults, but they respond at a lower rate, similar to results of a prior NYU study of adult eating behavior.
Not that “low calorie” was unique in Packaged Facts analysis, “low fat" landed in 19th spot, with 369 citings. Among the weight-management claims, "low calorie" has led the pack for the past two years, taking over from "low fat," which had registered the most claims in weight-management products between 2005 and 2007. The "low carbohydrate" fad had nearly disappeared as of 2009, with only 69 package mentions.