Dieting industry 'will be worth €100bn'

The market in diet food and drink products is expected to increase to €100bn over the next four years, new research shows.

A report from Datamonitor says one-third of western Europeans are now overweight, and this will increase to almost half by 2006.

The company looked at the dieting industry in a study called Diet, Exercise and Physical Appearance.

The British firm says the rise in value of the industry will stem mainly from the increase in people's weight.

Media images of the ideal body, marketing strategies and the awareness of the benefits of exercise and good diet will also help, the report states.

Andrew Russell, consumer markets analyst for Datamonitor and the report's author, said: "Both those who find themselves overweight and those who are keen to avoid being in that position are increasingly interested in using both exercise and diet to manage their shape.

"As a result, the diet food and drinks market will be worth €100bn by 2006."

Datamonitor predicts that "normal" weight consumers will be the most profitable group for diet product firms to target because they are the most likely to exercise and pay attention to their diet.

The overweight are the next best, because, as the "fastest growing consumer segment", the numbers of people consuming small amounts of healthy foods to feel better will rise.

Firms in the dairy, fats and spreads sector are expected to see the slowest growth while dairy foods and bakery products will see the fastest growth. Drinks manufacturers could expect a dip in fortunes to the tune of €5.1bn by 2006 as shape conscious consumers shun alcohol and particularly beer, the research finds.