Nutrisystem

Company history

Nutrisystem's initial product in 1972 was a liquid protein diet, but the company changed its offering after Slim-Fast came to prominence in that market.

The company originally offered weight loss counseling and products in brick and mortar centers, but in 1999, Nutrisystem moved to a direct-to-consumer business model, selling its products and programs on the Internet and by telephone.

The company launched its mobile platform in 2010. WebDiet, Inc., a Silicon Valley startup, accused Nutrisystem of stealing their technology, but the case was dismissed in May, 2014.{{cite web | access-date = 20 November 2020

In 2015, the firm acquired the South Beach Diet brand.

In December 2018, Tivity Health announced that it would acquire the Nutrisystem brand.

On October 19, 2020, Kainos Capital acquired the brand from Tivity Health.

In 2021, Stephen Mikulak was named President of Nutrisystem.

The company is known for its celebrity marketing, which has included Marie Osmond in national advertising. One of its primary competitors is Weight Watchers with the rivalry deemed "diet wars" by the media.

Efficacy and criticism

A systematic review in 2015 concluded that Nutrisystem "shows promise" because, in the short term, studies have shown that Nutrisystem was more effective at weight-loss than a control group, but found no studies of long-term efficacy.

, four weeks of a basic Nutrisystem plan costs the average American customer $274.99. In light of this expense, the Mayo Clinic lists one of the disadvantages of the diet to be its potentially "prohibitive" cost. Obesity specialist Fatima Cody Stanford writes that a potential disadvantage of the diet is that it complicates social eating because a person following the Nutrisystem plan has to follow a distinct dietary program.

References

References

1. (2008). "Gale Encyclopedia of Diets". Gale Group.
2. "United States Securities and Exchange Commission Annual Report Form 10-K".
3. Brandy, Shaul. (24 April 2015). "Nutrisystem Launches Weight Loss Platform on IOS". AdWeek SocialTimes.
4. Fair, Matt. (1 July 2014). "Nutrisystem Accused of Stealing Rival's Diet Mobile App Technology". Law360.
5. Hilario, Kenneth. (18 December 2015). "Nutrisystem acquires diet brand for $15M".
6. Hammond, Ed. (10 December 2018). "Tivity Health Plunges With $1.3 Billion Nutrisystem Deal". Bloomberg News.
7. (October 19, 2020). "Tivity Health Announces Sale of Nutrition Business".
8. (22 February 2021). "PE-backed Nutrisystem names new President".
9. (26 January 2023). "Marie Osmond Shows off 50-lb Weight Loss and Tells Fans: 'Food is Not My Enemy Anymore'".
10. (28 February 2018). "Weight Watchers (And Oprah) are winning the diet war".
11. (April 2015). "Efficacy of commercial weight-loss programs: an updated systematic review". Ann Intern Med.
12. (6 November 2018). "Facing Overweight and Obesity: A Complete Guide for Children and Adults". MGH Psychiatry Academy.
13. (6 June 2020). "Weight loss: Choosing a diet that's right for you". Mayo Clinic.