This is again perhaps a little off topic for me, but it does pose some really interesting strategic points for consideration…
The cigarette of today’s generation is fast food, sodas, and poor eating habits in general. Obesity in the US is projected to be about 20% of our annual health spending – or roughly $350 billion (USA Today) by 2018. This means the number will double from 10% of the spending to 20% by 2018. Food related deaths account for more than half of our causes of death (CDC) and we focus very little attention to it. And for the first time in decades the US life expectancy is projected to decline by 5 years (National Institute of Health) with this generation.
So from the viewpoint of Strategy, this poses a wild number of potentials. Depending upon your industry this either opens you to a tremendous opportunity, or a concerning level of risk.
Opportunities:
- Food industry – being an early mover to healthier versions of your food may attract more customers
- Education – providing content for school, churches, communities, etc may open more doors for you
- Healthcare – with increasing costs, providers that can target care to show health gains with children, or keep their clients healthier may see improved demand for their products while at the same time controller their costs.
- Marketing – Branding your self as a healthy alternative
- HR – being seen as a healthier employer may improve your retainment and attraction to new employees. You may also see a reduction in your health care costs over time.
Risks:
- Fast food – This entire industry may be about to come under ever increasing levels of attack. The attacks will likely be on menu, ingredients, nutritional labeling, and potentially lawsuits.
- Sports drinks – As parents become more aware of the level of sugar in these drinks, demand is certainly at risk. As one of their core segments is children, it is also possible that even the marketing placement will be called into question.
- Education – As Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution has clearly pointed out, he is certainly targeting the school system menu. Once the parents get involved school district lunch menus will likely need to change dramatically.
- Healthcare – spiraling costs will force most healthcare companies to make very difficult decisions to remain profitable.
Here is Jamie Oliver’s presentation on TED.
Here you can see the growing obesity problem in the us (CDC).
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