What does it really mean for a food to be “healthy”?
Ask a nutritionist, and the answer might involve saturated fat content, sodium levels, or the balance of macronutrients. These factors are still critical — consumers do care about the facts on the nutrition label. But increasingly, how healthy a product feels can matter just as much as what the label says.
In today’s food and beverage landscape, perception is often the first filter consumers use to judge healthfulness. A snack branded as “plant-based” or “keto-friendly” might earn a health halo, even if its nutritional profile is comparable to traditional options. At the same time, brands using ingredients like seed oils or artificial sweeteners can face backlash, even when those ingredients fall within dietary guidelines.
This is the paradox that CPG brands are navigating today: health is both a science and a story, and understanding the story consumers are telling is critical.
Health and wellness isn’t a new trend — but it’s evolving faster and in more nuanced ways than ever before. Social media, viral TikToks, and health influencers can drive widespread shifts almost overnight.
Here are just a few examples of where consumer attention is trending:
Protein-Packed Everything: From chips to pasta to cereal, brands are adding protein to traditionally carb-heavy foods, reflecting growing interest in strength, longevity, and satiety over simple calorie-cutting.
Food Dyes Under Fire: Artificial dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5 face scrutiny, especially from parents. Consumers push for cleaner labels and natural alternatives, even when dyes remain FDA-approved. Some brands have already reformulated.
Low-Calorie Indulgence: Rather than giving up indulgences like chips or ice cream, consumers want “better-for-you” versions.
These trends are grounded in real product attributes — protein, dyes, calories — but consumer reactions are often emotional and intuitive, shaped by evolving narratives. A product’s success depends not just on its label, but how well it fits today’s health ideals.
The health conversation is crowded, with smaller players disrupting through wellness-first positioning and larger brands launching or acquiring “better-for-you” lines. But in a market where many brands lean into health-forward positioning, it’s not always clear who’s actually breaking through.
We developed Yogi’s Health Perception Score (HPS) — quantifying how well a brand’s health positioning is perceived. The score blends two key signals:
By weighting sentiment more than volume, HPS captures positive health associations — not just conversation volume. It highlights the brands resonating with health-conscious consumers. HPS isn’t a replacement for nutrition labels, but adds a critical layer: showing how consumers perceive health in their own words.
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In the Salty Snacks category, health perception varies widely. Smaller or niche brands emphasizing wellness naturally score higher, while larger mainstream brands often have less association with health in consumer conversations.
Across the category, clean and natural ingredients, healthy alternatives, and caloric or nutritional content tend to drive positive health perception. Moreover, as shown in our Standouts and Underdogs above, products with simple, transparent ingredient lists and healthier formulations tend to resonate strongly with consumers. On the other hand, products with fewer health mentions or concerns about ingredient quality—like artificial additives or controversial oils—rank lower, reflecting consumer skepticism. This contrast highlights how ingredient clarity and health-focused positioning shape consumer perception across the category.
Implications for Brands and Marketers
Knowing which health themes resonate offers a roadmap for authentic health positioning. In a crowded market, brands that align messaging with what consumers truly care about—and back it with positive experiences—are better positioned to earn trust and loyalty.
Health narratives will only grow more complex as consumers become savvier and more vocal. Trends like personalized nutrition, sustainability-linked health claims, and transparency around ingredient sourcing are shaping perception alongside traditional metrics like calories or protein.
Brands that want to stay ahead will need to listen continuously and deeply to evolving conversations across social channels, reviews, and other consumer voices. It’s not enough to declare a product healthy; success depends on how that claim resonates in real-world perception.
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