“Diet” Is The New Four-Letter Word In Food Industry Marketing

Market researcher Datamonitor’s database of new product launches in the food industry is showing a steady decline in the use of the term “diet” in product names. In 2009, new product labels featured the word diet 10.8 percent of the time. By 2012 that proportion had dropped to 6.6 percent. Food manufacturers are indeed acknowledging the obesity epidemic in the U.S. by “stealthily” introducing products lower in sugar, fat and salt. But in their labeling and advertising they are shunning the dirty word diet – “like the plague” – in favor of ”more positive messages” about food quality, protein, health and wellness, the researcher says.