Who moved my cheese pizza?
Lately, there is a definite trend in the US towards making healthier eating options available to kids.
- Michelle Obama has provided some much needed visibility and support to this cause.
- The US Congress is working on legislation that incentivizes healthier school lunches.
- The top beverage companies are taking off unhealthy products from US schools. Clinton’s initiative have been instrumental in making this happen.
- News organizations are focusing on the growing childhood obesity in US and raising awareness of this hidden epidemic.
- In the health care debate, most believe that prevention is certainly preferred to cure.
At the same time, I believe there are several challenges that remain in making kids eat healthier. Here are some I can think of.
1. Addressing a global problem with a limited solution
While some global Foods and Beverages (F&B) majors are pledging a voluntary withdrawal of unhealthy products from schools worldwide, broadly the awareness, legislation and action in most countries remains relatively low. F&B majors would definitely increase their percentage of sales from emerging markets in the years ahead. Getting the consumers comfortable with the right products (e.g., diet instead of regular), and creating the right marketing strategy now would be easier and a better use of their investments than making adjustments after the markets have reached a certain maturity.2. Product innovation and availability
There is a market void that will get created as unhealthy products get off the shelf. Encouraging kids to eat more veggies, whole grains and other natural products is important but a more difficult one to practically achieve for parents and schools - as these are not really "cool". I believe that F&B majors - can and should play an important and profitable role in creating new "cool" healthy products. It is a win-win-win-win for parents, schools, kids and the corporations.
Let us take a reality check here with some examples. Kids love pizza, pastas and juices/ sodas. I am not aware of any major US grocers or restaurant chain that sells fat free cheese pizzas widely. Whole grain pastas are available in certain retailers but very few restaurants. Most establishments do offer no or low sugar variants for sodas though yet few other healthy beverages.
Just where are the delicious fat free cheese pizzas? Can there be a whole grain Mac and cheese? Or the yet-undiscovered fat free milk and yogurt products? Are there good healthy alternatives from other regions (Europe, Asia,..) that might have a global and US appeal?On the availability front, what innovative practices can the F&B majors employ to help retailers offer healthier products? Can trade funds help? Can differential pricing help?
3. Kids emulate what they see their parents eat
All I will say about this here is that getting a larger proportion of the adult population to think healthy is a much wider change and challenge, with no easy solutions. But one hopes that steps that are good for the kids would help others too.
4. ROI
It is a chicken and egg problem (no pun intended). Should the F&B majors invest before the demand or help create the demand? Personally I believe right now, there is a window of opportunity to “own” the health and wellness space before their competitors do.
