The NPD's New Dieting Monitor Tracks America's Dieting Habits

Port Washington, NY, May 3, 2004 - Despite all the branded diets on the market, the most popular diet plan being followed is one described as "My Own Diet". The NPD Group's new Dieting Monitor* finds Americans are adjusting a number of diets to develop one that fits their lifestyle. Twenty-five percent of the population has tried "My Own Diet" and nearly seven percent are currently on it.

Next in line is the Atkins diet. NPD's Dieting Monitor finds nearly three out of four people are aware of the Atkins diet, 17 percent have tried it and about four percent of adults are currently following the popular diet. But did you know that Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig are just as well known as Atkins in terms of brand awareness? In the latest wave of the Dieting Monitor, 73 percent of people tell NPD they are aware of Atkins, Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.

Low-Carb Craze
"At any given time about a quarter of the population is on a diet. The buzz on Atkins is not those few actually following the diet, but the people who are trying low-carb or high protein dishes, even though they do not claim to be on the diet," said Harry Balzer, vice president of The NPD Group. "This low-carb fad will be around for a while as more companies offer their low-carb versions," said Balzer.

"The low-carb phenomenon has made many industries sit up and take notice. I have never seen the food industry jump on board to a fad as quickly as this low-carb craze," said Balzer. "Restaurant operators and food manufacturers are doing what they can to participate in this wave, but the truth of the matter is that low-carb will follow all the other trends, like low-fat. My advice, offer the low-carb product, but don't build the plant," said Balzer.

Are People Losing Weight
The majority of Americans are dieting because they want to lose weight. But are the diets working? The latest wave of NPD's Dieting Monitor finds that a quarter of dieting adults (24 percent) say they have lost less than five pounds, 22 percent say they have lost between 5-10 pounds and almost one-fifth of consumers (19 percent) say they have lost between 11-20 pounds. When asked how much more do you want to lose--46 percent say they want to lose between 21-30 pounds more.

Still, more than half of adults claim to eat whatever tastes good.

*NPD's Dieting Monitor
Dieting Monitor is an ongoing consumer tracking service that captures awareness of and participation in branded diets bi-weekly. It also captures other dieting and health-related issues. A minimum of 1000 consumers (the sample is balanced to reflect the U.S. population) respond to this online survey. This information was collected the week of 4/7-4/14/04.

NPD Foodworld^®, a division of The NPD Group, tracks the food, beverage and foodservice industries. NPD Foodworld provides a complete picture of what Americans are actually eating - both at home and in restaurants.

About The NPD Group, Inc.
Since 1967, The NPD Group has provided reliable and comprehensive sales and marketing information for a wide range of industries. NPD provides critical knowledge on what is selling, where, to whom and why. Today more than 1,300 manufacturers and retailers rely on NPD to help them better understand their customers, product categories, distribution channels and competition. Information from The NPD Group tracks major vertical sectors including: apparel, appliances, automotive, beauty, cellular, consumer electronics, food and beverage, foodservice, footwear, home improvement, housewares, imaging, information technology, music, software, travel, toys and video games.

Who is Harry Balzer?
Harry Balzer, vice president of The NPD Group, has studied Americans eating habits for 25 years. Balzer is recognized as one of the most influential forces in they way Americans eat, cook and think about food.

For more information:

Cristina Hilsenrath, 516-625-2443		Dora Radwick, 516-625-6190
cristina_hilsenrath@npd.com		mailto:dora_radwick@npd.com