The global low-calorie food market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.17% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$15.471 billion in 2027, up from US$10.871 billion in 2020. The adaption of healthier living standards and practices is supplementing the demand for low-calorie food-based products. The market is growing at a substantial rate, and in the coming years, dietary supplements, and various types of functional and sugar-substitute foods will drive the overall market growth. Low-calorie food provides a plethora of benefits. It helps to keep obesity, diabetes, and stress under control and thereby minimizes the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It also helps with weight loss because the food contains less sugar and fat. Nowadays, low-calorie foods are gaining extensive appeal globally. Various players are adopting branding and promotional strategies by getting their products advertised by well-known media influencers and celebrities. In addition, the companies have been investing significant capital in the development of novel and innovative low-calorie food products. These types of developments have helped in the growth of the market in the last few years. With the rise of online technology and systems, consumers are becoming aware of the benefits of consuming low-calorie food products.
COVID-19 Pandemic Drifted Consumers Towards Low-Calorie Food Products
COVID-19 has a major positive impact on the market because more people are adopting healthier living standards and have been buying nutritious and safer restaurant products. The market has been seeing the growth of low-calorie diets, minimally processed food, functional snacks, and other healthier food products. The trend of purchasing low-calorie and healthier food products will continue to surge as it helps in the enhancement of immunity and reduces the chances of unwanted diseases during the time of the pandemic. Hospitals are getting crowded, and more people have been moving towards healthier and sustainable living. There has been a demand for dairy-free alternatives such as milk derived from soybeans, nuts, almonds, and other sources during the pandemic. Plant-based foods are also generating significant growth because of their nutritious, safer, and healthier applications. Low-calorie food is a major part of plant-based nutritious applications, which also include proteins, minerals, dietary fibre, and vitamins. The overall low-calorie food market will continue to register exponential growth.
- Diabetes and obesity issues and concerns will drive market growth. According to the data given by the World Health Organisation (WHO), there were 422 million people with diabetes in the year 2014, up from 108 million in the year 1980. The worldwide prevalence of diabetes was 8.5% in 2014 and rose from 4.7% in 1980, among adults over 18 years of age. There has been a significant surge in diabetic patients in lower and middle-income nations. Diabetes harms the overall health of a person. They are the cause of strokes, heart attacks, lower limb amputations, kidney failure, and blindness. An estimated 1.6 million people die from diabetes in 2016. 2.2 million deaths were caused by high blood glucose in 2012. Diabetes can be treated and cured by the consumption of low-calorie, healthier, and nutritious food products. There are a plethora of sugar substitute products available on the market. Major companies have been investing a significant amount of capital into the enhancement and development of various types of sugar substitute products. Stevia, Natural Sweaters, and others are some of the derivatives, that contain no sugar content in them. Archer Daniels Midland, one of the major players in the food and beverage industry, has SweetRightTM erythritol products in its portfolio. It is a naturally-sourced, consumer-pleasing sweetener with a taste similar to sugar. The product contains no calorie content and is widely popular in the market.
- Obesity is also a major problem that is driving the low-calorie food market growth. It is an excessive or abnormal fat disease that presents significant risks and concerns for health. According to the World Health Organisation, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight in 2016. Of those, 650 million people were obese. 39% of adults that were aged 18 years or over were overweight in 2016. The global prevalence rate of obesity tripled between 1975 and 2016. Obesity has been a major problem in developed countries for decades, but in the last few years, it has become a concern in developing countries too. In Africa, the number of obese children has surged by 24% since 2000. The global cause of obesity is the intake of dense foods that contain high sugar and fat content. Obesity causes diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and musculoskeletal disorders. Obesity can be prevented by the intake of low-calorie food products that contain low sugar and fat content. The market will experience exponential growth with the rise of these types of problems.
- A rise in the demand for Stevia will drive market growth. Stevia products will continue to register significant growth in the market. According to various research and studies conducted, stevia is around 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is sweet, contains zero calories, and doesn't possess any harmful effects on the body. Growing demand for healthier food products will drive the growth of natural sweeteners in the coming years. Stevia is widely used in a variety of food and beverage types like salads, vegetables, go-to drinks, meat, and cereals. Manufacturers and producers are developing novel and advanced stevia products for different types of applications and uses. They have been working extensively to reduce and minimize calorie content without affecting the overall taste. The incorporation of natural plant-based ingredients in the product will have a positive effect on the market. Stevia plant-based ingredients contain a lot of side effects that would fuel stevia animal-based ingredients' growth in the coming years. Companies have been engaging in mergers, collaborations, acquisitions, and alliances to expand their business portfolios. Because of the surging demand for natural sweeteners, Europe holds a major share in the global stevia market. North America and the Asia-Pacific region will also register significant growth in the coming years.
Key Changes in the Market:
- In August 2020, Tetra Pak and Dabur collaborated to launch the FMCG major's new low-calorie juice range in a different packaging format in order to achieve high on-shelf differentiation in the packaged juice market, worth Rs 2500 crore with key competitors like PepsiCo and ITC. For the first time, Dabur had launched a low-calorie juice range under the brand Real Activ. To give this drink a natural look when packaging, Dabur teamed up with Tetra Pak and packaged it in bare paperboard with wood fibre.
- In February 2022, Nestlé Health Science announced its acquisition of Abac Capital's PronoKal, a global weight loss and weight management services provider. The acquisition will supplement Nestlé Health Science's current weight management solutions. Spain-based PronoKal is a holistic, medically supervised weight loss approach that is tailored to each individual. It consists of lifestyle coaching, nutrition, a very-low-calorie ketogenic diet, physical activity, nutrition, lifestyle coaching, and applied genomics.
- In March 2022, The Brooklyn Creamery (TBC), a leading healthy ice cream brand, added four new flavors to its existing variety of innovative dairy and non-dairy low-calorie choco bars to meet the global paradigm shift toward healthy and mindful eating amidst the pandemic.
- According to the brand, the low-calorie ice cream bars have 89-99 calories per serve and no added sugar, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, or colors. Compared to other premium ice creams, they are reported to have 60% less fat than other premium ice creams! The four new flavors are Soho Berry, Chocoholic, Vegan Chocolate Therapy, and Vegan Acai Berry Banana.
Covid-19 Impact on Global Low Calories Food Market:
Covid-19 had a positive impact on Global Low-calorie Food Market. Amidst the pandemic, many people became conspicuous of health and hygiene and brought changes in their dietary habits. In such a scenario, low-calorie food became the first choice for the foodies across the globe, thereby increasing the demand for the said food. Nevertheless, the rising infected cases, lockdown, social distancing, and travel restrictions led to low staffing and created a gap in the supply and demand chain, slowing down the market growth.
Global Low Calories Food Market Scope:
| Report Metric |
Details |
| Market size value in 2020 |
US$10.871 billion |
| Market size value in 2027 |
US$15.471 billion |
| Growth Rate |
CAGR of 5.17% from 2020 to 2027 |
| Base year |
2020 |
| Forecast period |
2022–2027 |
| Forecast Unit (Value) |
USD Billion |
| Segments covered |
Type, Applications, Distribution Channel, And Geography |
| Regions covered |
North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific |
| Companies covered |
Cargill, Incorporated, Zydus Wellness Ltd, Bernard Food Industries, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Beneo group, Ingredion Incorporated, Galam Ltd., Danisco A/S, Groupe Danone., Nestle S.A. |
| Customization scope |
Free report customization with purchase |
Market Segmentation:
- By Type
- Sugar Substitutes
- Stevia
- Saccharin
- Aspartame
- Others
- Sugar Alcohol Substitutes
- Erythritol
- Sorbitol
- Others
- Nutrient Based Substitutes
- Fat Based
- Protein Based
- Carbohydrate Based
- By Applications
- Bakery Products
- Snacks
- Dairy Products
- Dietary Beverages
- Others
- By Distribution Channel
- Offline
- Supermarkets
- Convenience Stores
- Others
- Online
- By geography
- North America
- South America
- Europe
- Germany
- Spain
- United Kingdom
- France
- Italy
- Others
- Middle East and Africa
- Saudi Arabia
- South Africa
- UAE
- Others
- Asia Pacific
- China
- Japan
- India
- Australia
- Thailand
- Malaysia
- Indonesia
- Others
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What are the growth prospects for the low calories food market?
A1. The low calories food market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.17% over the forecast period.
Q2. What will be the low calories food market size by 2027?
A2. The global low calories food market is expected to reach a total market size of US$15.471 billion in 2027.
Q3. What is the size of the global low calories food market?
A3. Low Calories Food Market was valued at US$10.871 billion in 2020.
Q4. How is the global low calories food market segmented?
A4. The global low calories food market has been segmented by type, applications, distribution channel, and geography.
Q5. What factors are anticipated to drive the low calories food market growth?
A5. The market is growing at a substantial rate and in the coming years, dietary supplements, and various types of functional and sugar substitute foods would drive the overall low calories food market growth.