For a quarter, healthy eating also means eating less meat
46% have reduced consumption of animal products in recent years
Obstacles to healthy eating in everyday life: lack of time, too high price of healthy food and lack of inspiration
BILLA focuses on healthy enjoyment and offers the BILLA Good Food Board, an expert advisory board, to support the implementation of a healthy diet.
Women (47 %) are even more convinced of this than men (31 %) - these are the results of a recent survey by BILLA among 500 people between the ages of 14 and 75. Almost one in six people in Austria (59 %) would like to eat healthier, and one third (34 %) believe they already do so sufficiently.
For people in this country, healthy eating means above all eating a lot of fruit and vegetables (69 %), cooking for oneself (58 %) and paying attention to balance and variety (56 %). Regional foods (43%), vitamins (42%), few additives such as flavour enhancers or preservatives (38%) and low-sugar meals (37%) also play their part. Meat from species-appropriate animal husbandry (30 %) and organic food (27 %) are also considered important for a healthy diet. Just under a quarter (22%) of Austrians are convinced that no or less meat should be consumed.
Of course, there are also certain expectations associated with a healthy diet: For example, 68% of those surveyed hope for positive effects on their health if they eat a balanced and conscious diet. 60 % expect a better immune system, 55 % weight loss and 35 % a longer life.
"At BILLA, we want to support Austrians in their individual diets in the best possible way and offer them a fresh variety of healthy and varied foods every day. That is why we are currently focusing on healthy enjoyment with our 'Good Food' campaign and are putting factors such as regionality, animal welfare, organic origin and sustainability in the foreground," says Elke Wilgmann, BILLA CEO.
Plant-based is gaining more and more importance as a conscious form of nutrition
According to the current BILLA survey, a quarter (26%) of Austrians have been paying more attention to their diet since the beginning of the Corona pandemic. 46% have consciously reduced their consumption of animal products, including meat, in recent years. 31% say that they feel better physically as a result and 22% think that plant-based product alternatives taste just as good as classic meat and sausage products. This is also proven by the extensive plant-based range at BILLA and BILLA PLUS with around 2,500 products such as tofu in a wide variety of flavours, sausage made from herb mushrooms, vegan salmon or tuna. In addition, the vegan assortment around the own brand Vegavita will be further expanded this year. There are currently about 80 products on the shelves, eleven new products such as vegan cevapcici, vegan minced meat, oatmeal yoghurt and organic tofu chilli have already been launched this year - about 15, including a feta alternative and vegan spreads, are still in the starting blocks. Vegavita is considered a pioneer in plant-based nutrition and has been supplying Austrians with 100% plant-based products bearing the V-label since 2002. Quality and taste play a particularly important role. A large part of the product range is organic and sourced from local suppliers. The products are free of artificial flavour enhancers and hydrogenated fats. Likewise, care is taken to avoid artificial flavours and preservatives as much as possible.
The BILLA own brand Ja! Natürlich (Yes! Of course), Austria's largest organic brand, has stood for organic and health for over 25 years. It also offers numerous vegan alternatives in the highest organic quality. In addition to egg-free pasta, mashed potatoes and almond yoghurt, there are numerous vegan drinks made from almond, oats and spelt to choose from. Among the novelties are the organic oat drink in the reusable glass bottle with oats from organic cultivation in Lower Austria and the organic pizza dough made from 100 % Austrian organic wheat flour.
Healthy eating as a difficulty in everyday life
Despite all the good intentions, however, it is often not that easy to integrate a healthy diet into everyday life. More than a third (35%) of respondents say that they often have too little time to eat a balanced and conscious diet. For 30%, healthy food is simply too expensive and 21% each complain about their lack of stamina and inspiration for healthy dishes. 20 % find it too time-consuming to cook themselves, 19 % find unhealthy products simply taste better and 17 % have children or partners who would rather eat different food.
"Everyone knows the dilemma: on the one hand, something has to be whipped up quickly that tastes good for the whole family, and on the other hand, the meal has to be home-cooked and healthy - for many, this is difficult to achieve in everyday life with a job, childcare and household chores. We want to show our customers that it is possible to quickly and easily integrate healthy nutrition into everyday life without sacrificing enjoyment and taste," says Wilgmann and adds, "We have enlisted the support of experts from gastronomy, nutrition science, professional sports and lifestyle who, as the 'BILLA Good Food Board', will introduce interested parties to conscious, healthy and sustainable nutrition, offer guidance, share their own experiences and provide culinary inspiration.
The focus topic of the "BILLA Good Food Board" varies annually. In 2022, everything revolves around plant-based nutrition. Each member of the eight-member expert council will work on three self-selected topic blocks on their own social media channels by the end of the year. The following questions will be answered: How can I incorporate plant-based nutrition into my life and what should I look out for? How healthy are substitute products? Which labels can I trust? How does a plant-based diet affect our climate? How can I make a healthy, balanced diet palatable to children? Interaction with the community is essential - users have the opportunity to discuss directly with experts, ask questions and use the platform as a contact point for conscious and sustainable nutrition.
About the survey
At the end of May / beginning of June, marketagent surveyed 500 Austrians between the ages of 14 and 75 online on behalf of BILLA about their eating habits. The sample is representative of the Austrian population.
