“Expectations of brands and the categories they are in key to consumer perceptions. Breakfast cereals are a clear example of this. Health standards set by certain brands impact upon the way in which other brands that do not match up are viewed. Conversely, brands in treat categories largely avoid being seen as amongst the unhealthiest: people don’t expect them to be healthy, and so seem to judge them less harshly than is the case in other categories. This has important implications when it comes to reformulation. Brands in markets that are generally seen as being healthy may well benefit from reformulating, while brands in treat categories may detract from their strengths by doing so."

– Richard Hopping, Senior Brand and Household Analyst

This report examines the following issues:

Health and naturalness are key topics in the food market, while there is also real concern over the ethics of food production. When it comes to how people think about individual brands, consumer perceptions of these three qualities are closely linked, each having a knock-on effect on one another. However, brands that are seen as being natural or healthy are less likely to be seen as delicious, suggesting that people still think that there is a trade-off between health and taste.