Making Healthy Lifestyles The Norm

According to Active Life, an Austin, Texas-based organization whose mission is to make healthy the norm by generating a persistent demand for healthy living among all sectors of society, the declining health of Americans is not merely the result of increased obesity, overweight and diabetes rates. Rather, the negative health outcomes are the result of a culture and society in which unhealthy has become the norm.

Traditional approaches, says Active Life, have had little impact because they are disconnected from a larger, cultural change solution. Healthy culture change requires a community of committed people, places and organization sufficient in size to make healthy the norm.

While most Americans do not fully understand the breadth and depth of the health crisis we find ourselves in, there is growing awareness that a crisis exists, not only affecting our quality of life, but our pocketbooks as well. One only has to look at the latest data to sense the urgency:

• At the current trend rate, 103 million American adults will be obese by the tear 2018.
• At the current rate, treating obesity-related illnesses will account for more than 21% of U.S. health care spending in the same year, accounting for an extra $860- 956 billion spent annually to treat obesity-related conditions.
• If the trends continue unabated, it’s estimated that by the year 2030, 86% of all Americans will be overweight or obese.
• According to a recent Gallup poll, 450 million days of work a year are missed in the U.S. because of weight and other health-related issues.

Better-For-You brands have a real opportunity, if not at obligation, to play a significant role in stemming this health crisis, and being a part of the solution.

Better-For-You Foods: It’s Just Good Business

According to a recent Hudson Institute report “Better-For-You Foods: It’s Just Good Business”, the packaged food and beverage companies that sell better-for-you products enjoy greater sales increases and returns.  Says Hudson Institute’s Hank Cardello, for the first time, we now have evidence that packaged food and beverage companies selling a higher percentage of better-for-you (BFY) products enjoy greater sales increases, operating profits, investor returns, and reputation scores.

The report also concluded that:

• BFY foods and beverages now account for just under 40 percent of sales in grocery, drug, and mass merchandisers.
• BFY products contributed over 70 percent of sales growth in the last 5 years.
• Companies that grew their BFY products more than their traditional ones delivered more than two times the operating profit growth
• Returns to shareholders were 1.5 times higher for companies selling above-average levels of BFY products.

Clearly there is growing demand for Better-For-You food and beverage products, with more and more people becoming more educated on what they consume, how they consume, and where they buy these products. And with companies realizing that there are profits to be realized and market share to be gained, companies and the public seeking healthier options can will benefit from shared mutual interests.

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Tags: Active Life, Better-For-You brands, Ed Hinde, healthy lifestyles, Healthy Living Marketing, obesity crisis