Low-Sugar and GMO-Free are Top Factors When Deciding What to Eat or Drink, Show GfK Data

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NUREMBERG, Germany, Oct. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

     Factors rated "very" or "extremely" important by consumers

    Nearly half of consumers report that "low sugar or sugar-free" and "free

from GMO ingredients" are very or extremely important factors when deciding

which food or beverage product to eat or drink. These factors top the list,

just ahead of factors such as low-salt, organic, low fat, or fortified with

vitamins or minerals.

    GfK asked 23,000 consumers online in 17 countries how important certain

factors are, from a given list, when deciding what to eat or drink. Nearly half

(48 percent) report that products being low-sugar or sugar-free is "extremely"

or "very" important to them, and an equal number say the same for products

being free from genetically-modified (GMO) ingredients.

    Low sodium or low-salt products came third highest, with 45 percent. And

forth place was a tie between organic products, low fat or no-fat products, and

products that are fortified with vitamins or minerals. These all came equal

with 44 percent of consumers rating these as very or extremely important when

making their decision on what to eat or drink.

    % rating each item "very" or "extremely" important, when deciding what to

eat or drink

     It is a low-sugar or sugar-free product                          48%

     It is free from GMO (genetically modified) ingredients           48%

     It is a low-sodium, low-salt product                             45%

     It is organic or made from organic ingredients                   44%

     It is low fat or no fat                                          44%

     It is fortified with vitamins or minerals                        44%

     It is made locally or uses local ingredients                     38%

     It contains pre- or pro-biotics                                  35%

     It is gluten-free                                                26%

     None of the above                                                12%

     GfK survey of 23,000 internet users aged 15+ in 17 countries. Multiple

answers possible.

    Organic, pro-biotic, fortified and gluten-free products are more important

to people aged under 40

    The most selective food and drink shoppers are those aged 30-39 years old.

This group nearly always has the highest percentage rating factors as "very" or

"extremely" important.

    Also of note is that products which are organic, fortified with vitamins or

minerals, pre- or pro-biotic or gluten-free are more important amongst people

aged under 40 years old than amongst those aged 40 plus.

    Impacts of income and gender

    As expected, people from high income households set consistently higher

importance on all the factors, compared to the lower income households.

    Among high income households, the most important factors are GMO-free (55

percent), low sugar or sugar-free (54 percent) and low sodium or low salt (52

percent).  Among low income households, GMO-free and low sugar or sugar-free

are also the top two, but mentioned by a significantly lower percentage (44

percent and 43 percent respectively). And the third most important factor for

this group is a tie between organic products and products fortified with

vitamins or minerals (41 percent).

    Gender makes next to no difference in how people rate the decision factors.

Men are very slightly more likely than women to place importance on local

products, fortified products, pre- or pro-biotic and gluten-free, but the

difference in each case is only three percentage points.

    Chinese are the most selective on what to eat and drink, out of 17

countries surveyed

    In eight out of the nine decision factors researched, China tops the list

for having the highest percentage placing importance on that item, when

deciding what to eat or drink. The exception is for locally produced products,

where Italy takes the lead.

    The greatest difference between China and other nations is seen when it

comes to preference for pre- or pro-biotic products. Here, China is 21

percentage points ahead of the next closest country with over half of its

online population placing high importance on this factor.

    Download GfK's complimentary report on "factors when deciding what to eat

and drink"

[http://www.gfk.com/global-studies/global-studies-decision-factors-eat-drink ]

to see key demographic data for each of the 17 countries included in this

survey.

    GfK combines these self-reported consumer insights with data from areas

such as point of sales tracking, consumer panels and geo-marketing to help

clients successfully target high-potential audiences both globally and within

specific countries.

    More information at http://www.gfk.com

Source:  GfK