Survey Reveals How COVID-19 Has Impacted Consumers' Preferences on Wellness and Health

A new study from HealthFocus International examines how COVID-19 has shaped consumers' relationship to health, diet and food and beverage shopping.  

SAINT PETERSBURG, Fla., Nov. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As of November 5^th, 2020 at 10:36 A.M. CET, the WHO has reported 47,596,852 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,216,357 deaths globally. The expectation is that these numbers will increase quite dramatically in the coming months. A just released study from HealthFocus International, The Changing World of Nutrition and Wellness Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic, documents the direct impact on consumers' relationship to diet, food/beverage shopping, and health. The study was conducted in 6 countries (USA, UK, China, Spain, Brazil, and Germany); below are selected critical findings:

• Concern about health impacts from COVID-19 overwhelms all other personal health issues; in addition, there has been a jump in the immediate focus on health and diet and products that benefit individual and family well-being.
• Globally, we are seeing dramatic shifts in consumer shopping behavior, including increases in online shopping, less time spent in the store, more preplanning, and greater search for savings while still paying more for health.
• Consumers are willing to pay more for foods and beverages that are both healthier AND better for the environment. The sourcing, processing, delivery, and social impacts of groceries are now significant to how consumers define healthy.
• While many of the macro trends are consistent across each country, the level of response to COVID-19 is determined by local conditions and media; however, we do see a split between those concerned about COVID-19 and those less concerned in attitudes and behaviors globally. Concern level is not always consistent with level of local affliction and pandemic spread.
• Working from home is becoming the new normal and is changing how people eat, snack, cook, and experiment with new foods and beverages during the day, including personalizing products.
• Preventative, curative, and functional benefits are increasing, as well as the desire/need for personal control and management of health.

Included in this study are questions specific to the COVID-19 emergence, as well as key trended items compared with pre COVID-19 consumer attitudes and behaviors to measure the breadth and level of change. The large majority of consumers see the changes to their shopping and eating habits as permanent beyond the duration of the pandemic. 

HealthFocus specializes in understanding consumer attitudes towards health and nutrition and helping to apply those insights to brand development and innovation. The HealthFocus Trend Survey, conducted in the U.S. and 40 other markets, is the most in-depth, up-to-date study of its kind.