Food for Individuals with Diabetes in the United States Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2007 around 23.6 million Americans, or 7.8% of the population, had diabetes. Another 57 million Americans have what is called pre-diabetes, in which individuals have higher than normal blood glucose levels, but not enough to be classified having diabetes. Many of these individuals will be diagnosed with diabetes in the future and also have a higher risk of developing heart disease and having a stroke (ADA, Statistics, 2010).

For the millions of sufferers of type 2 diabetes who do not need regular insulin injections, sometimes the simplest way to manage their symptoms and disease is to maintain a balanced diet with regular exercise. Americans with all types of diabetes must follow healthy eating habits. However, for many individuals with diabetes, busy schedules, a small budget, a lack of understanding of what constitutes healthy food, and lack of culturally specific foods prevents them from managing their diabetes properly.

The market opportunities for bulk, intermediate, and consumer diabetic foods are significant. The overall size of the diabetic packaged food market reached US$ 282.9 in 2009. Packaged foods that are labelled as "suitable for diabetics," low–glycemic (i.e. foods containing carbohydrates that do not cause a large rise in blood glucose), or low in sugar, are particularly good growth markets. As the number of consumers with diabetes rises, naturally healthy foods, in both packaged and non-packaged formats, will also benefit from diabetic trends. Less processed foods that may not include labels or product claims, such as fruits and vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy products and whole grains are often recommended by doctors for individuals with diabetes, as well as the general public. However, producers of these naturally healthy foods may even benefit from labelling claims promoting their natural health benefits, as added incentives for people with diabetes to purchase them. Sometimes the simple words "suitable for diabetics" on product packaging (along with nutritional values and ingredient information to back up the claim), provide consumers with added confidence that they are choosing the right product for them.