Archive for December, 2008

Canada “Better For You” Products

Thursday, December 11th, 2008
Italian olive oil, both oil and an oil bottle ...

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Better For You” is a category used to described health and wellness products popularized by the North America and Western Europe weight management and weight loss fads like the “South Beach” and “Atkins” diets as well as concerted public authority campaigns in these countries in favour of healthy eating habits to stop the obesity pandemic.

The category includes food and beverage products where the amount of a substance considered to be less healthy (such as fat, sugar, salt, carbohydrates) has been actively reduced or removed during the production process

In 2005, global Better For You (BFY) sales in this category was estimated at US$108.9 billion, with health beverage and food supplements sales achieving respectively 11% and 8% annual growth.

Canadians, as educated consumers, have shown strong demand for Better For You products in an attempt to follow healthier lifestyles. According to AC Nielson research, the number of products listed as “better for you” in Canada doubled the new labelling standards from Health Canada came into effect in 2003, which allows for health claims to be displayed on product labels. This is currently a successful and predictably long-staying trend as companies develop new BFY options and nutritionally improved staple food products such as naturally healthier olive oil and whole grain bread.

BFY snack foods are strong performers in the Canadian market, with reduced-fat items outpacing sales of conventional products. Reduced-fat biscuits, sweet and savoury snacks, as well as extruded snacks, such as flavoured rice crisps and soy crisps, are strong performers at retail grocery stores across the country. In particular, the major sweet and savoury snack producer Frito-Lay Canada, boosted sales of BFY products when its reduced-fat “Baked” Lay’ s and Tostitos were introduced to the market. Reduced-fat products are also popular for staple food items such as milk, oils and fats, as well as in convenience products such as frozen and chilled ready-meals. For instance, despite a decrease in per capita consumption of milk, reduced-fat milk sales grew 4% in 2006, and reduced-fat yogurt represented over a third of all retail sales of yogurt in Canada.

Healthier oils and fats is a major trend affecting Canadian consumers as the population has become more educated about health problems associated with the high-fat content of traditional products. Over half of all retail sales of spreadable oils and fats are from reduced-fat, reduced-salt, or reduced combination BFY products, as well as naturally healthy olive oil spreads. This success can mainly be attributed to Unilever Canada‘ s aggressive marketing of its ‘Becel’ brand as a healthy alternative to butter. Sales of naturally healthy olive oil are strong, with higher priced imported “extra virgin” varieties boosting sales values.

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Canada Wellness

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

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CanadaWellnessHubs.com showcases wellness in tune people, institutions, companies, places, products, services, offers, events, communities and travel that puts Canada at the cutting edge of the global wellness revolution.

The spa sector is the leading player in health and wellness tourism in North America. In searching for health and wellness travel experiences, travelers can find structured and professionally delivered programs at several kinds of spa venues. These include club spas, cruise ship spas, day spas, destination spas, medical spas, mineral springs spas and resort/hotel spas.

According ISPA estimates there are about 2100 spas in Canada, with 75% of them categorized as day spas. Like the US, the Canadian spa industry segment is dominated by SMEs and most properties are independently owned. Forty-one percent of all spas in Canada are located in Ontario. British Columbia (19%), Quebec (18%), Alberta (12%), Atlantic Canada (6%), Manitoba/Saskatchewan (4%) and the Territories (0.4%) complete the regional breakdown.  Many of Canada’s spa facilities that cater to travelers, offer a prime year-round vacation experience. They cater to young and old alike – those consumers who seek a pleasant and energizing vacation of exceptional quality and personal care complete with specialized services such as massage therapy, therapeutic treatments, beauty care and healthful cuisine. Health and wellness programs in Canada focus on hydrotherapy [water based therapeutic treatments], algotherapy [all forms of the use of algae in therapeutic treatments], angotherapy [warm mud therapies], sudation [sauna], exfoliation, pressure therapy and several message techniques. Fitness programs, wellness assessment, and nutritional counseling are other services offered. Current research on Canada indicates that Canadians make some 20. 2 million spa visits annually. This compares to the estimate of 8 million in 2002 and represents nearly 2.5 times the number of visits.

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