While people may once have counted calories to trim their waistlines, many now take a more holistic approach to health. Weight Watchers is repositioning itself as a lifestyle brand with the aid of Oprah Winfrey, who’s using her star power to draw Boomers back to the pioneering weight loss company.

With obesity at the forefront of many consumers’ minds, they are looking for healthier snacking options. In response, snack and beverage brands are implementing new strategies, including reducing portion sizes, ‘premiumising’ their products and using clearer labelling.

In her 2016 bookFirst Bite, food writer Bee Wilson drew on research from food psychologists and neuroscientists to reveal how people’s food habits are shaped. Speaking with Canvas8, she explains the influence of family, memory, gender and love on the things we eat as children and adults.

Portion sizes have grown over the last 50 years, along with the perception that bigger meals offer better value for money. Yet there is increasing evidence that people value brands that help them to be healthier, and when it comes to portion sizes, they can be persuaded that less is more.