Could personalised diets be the new frontier in food marketing?

Personalised medicine is making its way into the US, with blood tests at the heart of changes to the way consumers see their health. Theranos has developed a health monitoring program which monitors health through regular blood tests. These tests consist of one single drop of blood which is analysed. Based on results, any changes can be easily detected, thus helping detect health issues much earlier on.

Canadean predicts that this technology will also shift into personalised diets.

Canadean research shows that 10.3% of food consumption in the UK is driven by the desire for products based on the consumer’s individual needs. Joanne Hardman, an analyst at Canadean, comments, “As consumers take more interest in their health and ageing, consumers look to maintain or slow down age-related issues. Diets tailored specifically for these consumers, based on their specific DNA, will grow in popularity.”

Canadean believes this innovation offers potential for brands and supermarkets to capitalise on the idea, perhaps partnering with hospitals and blood-testing laboratories to offer tailor-made diets based on consumers’ blood test results. Blood tests can measure issues such as kidney and liver function, meaning diet plans can be made to aid these issues and slow down any further damage.

Hardman says, “Personalised nutrition and diet plans could really be a hit in the UK, with consumers making more of an active effort to change their diets and improve their lives. DNA diet plans will be trusted if they work alongside the NHS and trusted names.”

To date, the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences is looking to capitalise on the trend by developing the Iron Man program - a coffee machine-style piece of equipment which analyses what is missing in a consumer’s diet and then tailors a product to help make up the difference.