Marks & Spencer : M&S Food leads on innovation in 2024 - launching world-first collaboration with nutrition science company ZOE after year-long product development journey

As consumer awareness about gut health grows, M&S Food today announces a collaboration with nutrition-science company ZOE. Through M&S' expertise in product development, quality and innovation, the retailer has been able to bring ZOE's groundbreaking science to millions of M&S customers through the launch of the M&S Food x ZOE Gut Shot. This unique expertise is why ZOE has chosen M&S as its first retail collaboration.

Helping customers make healthier choices that are right for them

Customers are becoming more aware of the gut's role in overall health and are seeking products that support better digestive function. Searches for 'gut health' are up 247% on Ocado.com since 2021 and gut health was named as a top food trend by Kantar in 2023. Our own proprietary insight, Family Matters Index, shows that in 2024, half of consumers are planning to eat more healthily, with a quarter saying they plan to focus on eating a balance of different foods.

M&S has long led on helping customers make healthier choices. 20 years ago, M&S removed MSG in its products, and became the first major retailer to remove hydrogenated fats from all food, as well as saying no to nasties like aspartame, gene-edited foods, or artificial flavours and colours. Currently, M&S has a range of over 1,800 nutritionally balanced Eat Well products, which have seen a 6% increase in year-on-year sales volumes. By 2025, the retailer aims for 70% of total food sales to come from healthier foods. From the Remarksable Value range (of which over 50% is Eat Well) to Count on Us (of which all dishes are calorie-controlled) and the new Healthy and Balanced range which contains nutritious ingredients, M&S is supporting customers who want to make healthier choices that are right for them, with no compromise on taste, quality or convenience.

Working with world-class suppliers to invent exciting new products

M&S is famous for spotting new food trends and being at the forefront of product innovation, working with world-class suppliers to invent exciting new products that we know our customers will love. Examples include:

• To answer the growing demand from customers for more plant-based products, M&S launched the best-selling Plant Kitchen range in 2019, to give customers delicious, vegan food. Plant Kitchen has helped attract over 500,000 new customers with best-selling products including Plant Kitchen No Chicken Kyiv, Cauli Popcorn and Thai Green Curry.
• M&S has made it easy for customers seeking higher protein products to support active lifestyles through the launch of a new High Protein range which offers options for all occasions (such as snacking, salads and freshly prepared meals), that are packed with protein- such as our 36g protein Chicken Shawarma, our 30g protein Thai Green Salmon and our 25g protein Mango & Passionfruit High Protein yoghurt.

The M&S Food x ZOE Gut Shot, which launches in stores today, is packed with over 5 billion live cultures from 14 strains of friendly bacteria, is high in fibre and a source of calcium - and, because it's from M&S, it tastes delicious.

Alex Freudmann, Managing Director of M&S Food commented:"At M&S we want all of our food to be exceptional; delicious, of the highest quality, and sourced and made with care - offering customers value with values. We always ensure a healthy choice is a delicious choice, and we're proud to be at the forefront of gut health innovation. The M&S Food x ZOE Gut Shot combines the nutrition science expertise of Zoe with the magic of M&S Food quality, innovation and product development. From the ZOE shot to our award-winning Plant Kitchen range and our newly launched High Protein range, we're proud to be at the forefront of innovation in offering our customers healthier choices."

Jonathan Wolf, Co-founder & CEO, ZOE commented:"At ZOE our mission is to improve the health of millions. We run the world's largest microbiome and nutrition research study, with hundreds of thousands of members and bring expert-led science to the world via our free podcast, published research and social channels. But there's a lot more that can be done to change the way the world understands nutrition. I'm glad we've partnered with M&S to bring this delicious product to supermarkets across the nation, helping more people to improve their gut health."The ZOE x M&S Food Gut Shot is creamy yet tart milk drink with kefir and berries - and there's no added sugar or sweetener, artificial gums or emulsifiers. Its priced at £2. A free gut health guide will be provided with every purchase.

Separately, M&S has launched a 'Good Gut' range with over 10 delicious products., including cereals, yoghurts and drinks.

02 Jan 2024FoodCorporate