FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nancy White
The Natural Marketing Institute
215.513.7300 ext. 225
Nancy.White@NMIsolutions.com

Consumers Ask, ‘What's In It For Me?'
As consumers become savvier about the benefits of nutritional foods and wellness products, they increasingly demand specific, rather than generalized health benefits.

Harleysville, Pa. (May 10, 2004) – The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), the leading provider of strategic consulting and market research services within the health, wellness, and sustainability market, today expanded on one of the trends it has identified as having a significant effect on the market. This trend is the fourth in the series of "NMI's Top 10 Trends of 2004."

Trend #4: Nutritional Maturation: From General to Specific Benefits

According to recent NMI research, American consumers are showing increased preferences for nutritional products boasting an explicit benefit. This specificity is seen across many categories including foods, beverages, supplements, and personal care products, among others. For example, 43% of women state it is important for their stores to carry foods that are designed for women's health needs, while 53% of all consumers state it is important for their stores to carry foods with a specific health claim.

"While consumers are, at times, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of messages about the functional benefits of foods and wellness products, the definitiveness of these benefits appears to be resonating," said Steve French, Managing Partner for NMI. "Whereas consumers may have once snacked on a certain fruit because they perceived it as ‘generally healthy,' they are now likely to choose that fruit for its specific nutritional qualities, such as vitamin C, antioxidants, or soluble fiber," said French. 

Furthermore, NMI data shows that nearly three in ten consumers are exploring the functional benefits of various foods and beverages. This includes foods with naturally occurring benefits (such as the protein content in soy), as well as foods that have been fortified (such as with vitamin C and calcium) to increase their nutritional profile. Personal care products – such as vitamin E and/or CoQ-10 fortified skin creams – are also increasingly sought after by consumers seeking specific benefits. Even pet food is now available with glucosamine for your mature dog.

For more information on this trend and others of 2004 see NMI's latest report, The 2004 Health and Wellness Trends Report www.NMIsolutions.com/r_hwt.html. Top Trends of 2004 are the result of NMI's annual Health and Wellness Trends Database™ and LOHAS Consumer Trends Database™ research projects, based on research studies from over 16,000 U.S. consumer households. The databases are nationally projectable to the general population and statistically valid to +/-2%.

NMI is a strategic consulting, market research, and business development company specializing in the health, wellness, and sustainable marketplace.  This release is the third in a series of eleven articulating NMI's Top 10 Trends of 2004.  For more information visit us on-line at www.NMIsolutions.com/news.html.

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