Dieters are favouring smaller portions and exercise over weightloss products

Study finds we are losing our appetite for expensive diet foods

Many of us have started a January diet to counteract the effects of festive feasting, but a new study has found the proportion of people buying special weightloss foods has actually fallen as we favour eating smaller portions and exercising instead.

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According to researchers at Mintel, the high price of specialist diet ranges as well as growing scepticism over health and weightloss claims have caused a stagnation in the diet food market.

Instead many dieters are exercising more and eating smaller portions of naturally healthy food in order to lose weight.

Last year 63 per cent of women tried to lose weight in the past year, however the percentage of people using specialist diet food and drink has fallen from 21 per cent in 2008 to 19 per cent now.

Mintel also found three out of four people think diet foods are overpriced, with half saying they distrusted diet foods due to the use of articifical sweeteners in the ingredients.

Emma Clifford, Mintel spokesperson, said: ‘The troubles of the diet and weight-control market cannot be attributed to consumers lacking interest in losing weight, in fact, quite the contrary.

‘In order to win consumers’ trust and compete with naturally low-calorie foods it is vital that manufacturers offer consumers greater transparency in terms of their ingredients and what constitutes them being ‘‘diet’’.’

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