05.03.10
With two-thirds of U.S. adults and almost one-third of children and adolescents overweight or obese, a diverse range of consumers are increasingly focused on weight loss and weight maintenance within a broadening context of personal health and lifestyle issues, according to “Weight Management Trends in the U.S.” by market research publisher Packaged Facts. The shift of weight management and healthy habits to the forefront of consumer consciousness is expected to gain momentum as the nation slips further into a semblance of economic relief from the fiscal ravaging of the recession. Packaged Facts estimates the global weight loss and diet management market—including diet food and drinks, weight loss programs and services, weight loss drugs and natural therapies and surgical interventions—reached $26 billion in 2009. Diet food and drinks—consisting of weight loss bars and snacks, drinks, frozen meals and diet desserts—was the largest category, with $18 billion, or 73%, of total worldwide sales. For further information: www.packagedfacts.com