Nutrisystem is a commercial provider of weight loss products and services headquartered in
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
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
Direct-to-consumer (DTC or D2C) or business-to-consumer (B2C) is the business model of selling products directly to customers and thereby bypassing any third-party retailers, wholesalers, or middlemen. Direct-to-consumer sales are usually transa ...
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.
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
A systematic review is a scholarly synthesis of the evidence on a clearly presented topic using critical methods to identify, define and assess research on the topic. A systematic review extracts and interprets data from published studies on ...
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.
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References
External links
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{{Authority control
1972 establishments in Pennsylvania
2019 mergers and acquisitions
American companies established in 1972
American corporate subsidiaries
Brand name diet products
Companies based in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Food and drink companies established in 1972
Food and drink companies of the United States
Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq
Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania
Weight loss companies