According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than two-thirds of U.S. residents are overweight or obese. That percentage has ballooned over the past 20 years, and shadowing it, ironically, has been the market for weight control drinks and powders. Whether they’re working or not is beside the point — the fact is, sales increased during the recession, showing that weight loss remains a key health concern for consumers.
The drink and powder segment increased 4% in dollar sales across all channels to $929 million. Supermarkets saw the strongest growth in unit and dollar sales for shelf-stable liquids and powders, while drug stores enjoyed explosive growth in the nascent refrigerated category. It’ll be interesting to see how these products contend with new competitors in the weight-loss industry, particularly food, drinks and supplements that promote satiety.