Dive Brief:
- The vast majority of American consumers (87%) say they'd rather eat their calories than drink them, according to a recent survey commissioned by Southern Breeze Sweet Tea and conducted online by Harris Poll.
- About 86% of consumers said they try to balance healthy eating with occasional indulgences.
- Nearly three-quarters of consumers (72%) are trying to determine how to reduce their sugar intake, and 62% said they would substitute regular sweet tea with a zero-calorie sweet tea beverage so they could indulge in other foods and beverages later.
Dive Insight:
These findings imply that manufacturers may want to consider focusing indulgent products and reformulation efforts on food rather than beverage products. Many manufacturers specialize in either foods or beverages, but for companies like PepsiCo or WhiteWave, they might factor in consumers' desires for high-calorie foods as opposed to beverages.
This survey also confirms one of the reasons why soda and juice sales continue to decline — consumers are increasingly avoiding sugary beverages. If manufacturers are weighing the benefits of a better-for-you product reformulation versus one that plays on a product's indulgent qualities, they may end up leaning toward the healthier route when dealing with beverages rather than food.
While millennials did follow this trend, they were less likely to than adults over the age of 35, with 89% of adults aged 35 and up who preferred to eat rather than drink their calories versus 81% of millennials.
Another finding from the survey was that women were more likely than men to make better-for-you substitutions for their favorite foods and beverages, with 79% of women versus 72% of men who felt that was important to them. That statistic could impact how manufacturers market certain products, particularly healthy substitutions versus indulgences.