Nutrisystem is a commercial provider of weight loss products and services headquartered in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Nasdaq: NTRI | |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | Harold Katz |
| Headquarters | Fort Washington, Pennsylvania , US |
Area served | US and Canada |
Key people | Stephen Mikulak, President |
| Products | Weight loss, weight management, nutrition |
| Services | Telephone, Internet and mobile counseling for weight control |
| Parent | Kainos Capital |
| Website | nutrisystem |
Company history
editNutrisystem'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.[1]
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.[2]
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.[3][4][5]
In 2015, the firm acquired the South Beach Diet brand.[6]
In December 2018, Tivity Health announced that it would acquire the Nutrisystem brand.[7]
On October 19, 2020, Kainos Capital acquired the brand from Tivity Health.[8]
In 2021, Stephen Mikulak was named President of Nutrisystem.[9]
The company is known for its celebrity marketing, which has included Marie Osmond in national advertising.[10] One of its primary competitors is Weight Watchers with the rivalry deemed "diet wars" by the media. [11]
Efficacy and criticism
editA 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.[12]
As of 2019[update], four weeks of a basic Nutrisystem plan costs the average American customer $274.99.[13] In light of this expense, the Mayo Clinic lists one of the disadvantages of the diet to be its potentially "prohibitive" cost.[14] 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.[13]
References
edit- ^ Longe JL, ed. (2008). "Nutrisystem". Gale Encyclopedia of Diets. Vol. 2. Gale Group. pp. 722–726.
- ^ "United States Securities and Exchange Commission Annual Report Form 10-K".
- ^ Brandy, Shaul (24 April 2015). "Nutrisystem Launches Weight Loss Platform on IOS". AdWeek SocialTimes. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ^ Fair, Matt (1 July 2014). "Nutrisystem Accused of Stealing Rival's Diet Mobile App Technology". Law360. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ^ "Webdiet Inc v. Nutrisystem Inc". Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ Hilario, Kenneth (18 December 2015). "Nutrisystem acquires diet brand for $15M". Business Journals. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
- ^ Hammond, Ed (10 December 2018). "Tivity Health Plunges With $1.3 Billion Nutrisystem Deal". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
- ^ "Tivity Health Announces Sale of Nutrition Business". October 19, 2020.
- ^ "PE-backed Nutrisystem names new President". www.privateequitywire.co.uk/. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
- ^ "Marie Osmond Shows off 50-lb Weight Loss and Tells Fans: 'Food is Not My Enemy Anymore'". 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Weight Watchers (And Oprah) are winning the diet war". 28 February 2018.
- ^ Gudzune KA, Doshi RS, Mehta AK, Chaudhry ZW, Jacobs DK, Vakil RM, Lee CJ, Bleich SN, Clark JM (April 2015). "Efficacy of commercial weight-loss programs: an updated systematic review". Ann Intern Med. 162 (7): 501–12. doi:10.7326/M14-2238. PMC 4446719. PMID 25844997.
Nutrisystem demonstrates better short-term weight loss than control/education and behavioral counseling; however, we identified no long-term trial results. We conclude that Nutrisystem shows promise, but the lack of long-term RCTs prohibits definitive conclusions.
- ^ a b Stanford FC (6 November 2018). "Chapter 10: Weight-loss programs". In Stevens JR, Stern TA (eds.). Facing Overweight and Obesity: A Complete Guide for Children and Adults. MGH Psychiatry Academy. pp. 127–128. ISBN 978-0-9991483-5-8.
- ^ "Weight loss: Choosing a diet that's right for you". Mayo Clinic. 6 June 2020.
External links
edit- Official website
- Historical business data for Nutrisystem:
- SEC filings