- A survey reveals that 24% of Mexicans have gained unwanted weight during the pandemic.
- Currently, Mexico occupies one of the first places worldwide in obesity.
- Despite efforts, this serious public health problem has not been reversed.
It was predicted that the covid-19 pandemic and the associated lockdowns would bring about big changes for both consumers and businesses. Today it is a fact that priorities have changed, but also habits, especially those related to health and hygiene.
The serious problem of obesity in Mexico
According to the study Perspectives of consumption in the pharmaceutical industry According to NielsenIQ, in Mexico 26% have been negatively impacted in their post-Covid physical health, and 24% have gained unwanted weight during the pandemic.
This becomes more relevant when we remember that Mexico ranks 5th in obesity in the world with a view to making this worse, increasing by 35 million adults for the next decade.
With this precedent, the Mexican government implemented the tax on sugary drinks after a 2012 study indicated that around 70% of the calories that come from added sugars in the Mexican diet come from the consumption of sweetened beverages. In addition, since 2020, it became mandatory to adopt nutritional warning labels on the front of the product package in order to raise consumer awareness.
Mexican lifestyle
Today the Mexican aspires and is interested in being healthier. In fact, 66% said that “being healthier” has become more important to them in the last 2 years and they try to take some actions to achieve this goal: regular exercise (57%), eating healthy foods and ingredients (42% ), consume natural products (40%) and take vitamins, boosters or supplements (39%).
In fact, the NielsenIQ study also revealed that 40% of consumers are willing to try healthier options of their regular products (low or no sugar, salt, carbohydrates, caffeine, alcohol), 38% declare to seek information/benefits before choosing a brand, and 25% would like to have plant-based food alternatives (vegan, vegetarian, animal protein-free, or meat-free).
“Faced with this complex panorama in terms of health, today most consumers give greater weight in their purchase decision to a product that improves their health and well-being conditions, for example, products with “less” sugar/fat/salt are growing 3 times faster than regular products and represent 48% of the health and wellness basket; This trend will surely go up in the coming years,” said Yanira Reyes, Analytics and Customer Success Leader at NielsenIQ.
The company also noted that when asked the reasons why Mexican consumers consider that health has become more important in their purchasing choices, respondents responded:
57%: “I want to prevent diseases”.
52%: “I want to live longer and better.”
49%: “I would like to see myself and feel healthier”.
41%: “I want to protect myself from diseases and infections”.
38%: “I long for a lifestyle change.”
Although spending on food and beverages continues to be prioritized in Mexico, health has gained relevance in the home, punishing education/leisure and clothing/footwear. In fact, Health is the item that grew the most vs 2018 (+40%).
And it is that the Covid-19 put the magnifying glass on the most predominant conditions such as heart disease (32%), obesity (27%), cholesterol problems (22%) and diabetes (13%), and this has driven that consumers pay more attention to their health and improve their lifestyle. Even 27% of Mexican consumers would love to follow and try new health and wellness trends whether they are products, ingredients or new technologies.
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