Americans are becoming increasingly focused on health and wellness. They are exercising more, eating healthier foods, reading product labels, and seeking health related information online – due to the convergence of several macro factors, including an aging population that is becoming more proactive when it comes to better care of themselves and rising healthcare costs.

At the same time, almost four in 10 households suffer from an ailment, many of which can be managed in part by diet, exercise, and over-the-counter medication. In addition, shoppers across all generations are demanding transparency in the foods they eat, and the products they consume. This has led to the growth of natural, organic, and several other transparency driven wellness claims to outpace the total store.

During his educational session at ECRM’s Snack, Beverage & Grocery EPPS, held July 25 to 28 in Miami, Nielsen Director of Strategic Insights Andrew Mandzy shares trends and insights that highlight several key themes in this health and wellness trend, including:

• Back-to-basics eating and drinking, focusing on simpler ingredients that are less processed. 
• A shift of dollars to the perimeter of the store, as fresh foods have outpaced center store sales. 
• How health and wellness is driving growth in traditionally indulgent categories.
• Food being used as medicine by those proactively managing their health, and by those reactively managing their ailments. 
• Key H&W initiatives that major retailers are focusing on. 
• Manufacturers’ move towards a more transparent business model, by eliminating ingredients seen as unhealthy, and the acquisition of better-for-you brands as a way to ensure that wellness is well represented in their product portfolios