I had an opportunity to catch up with a few colleagues who attended the recent Vitafoods Europe show in Geneva, Switzerland, to get their thoughts on the goings on within our industry. From their perspective, we should see steady, continued growth within the overall nutraceuticals category, but more so within the functional beverage category. And, regardless of the type of product, we will see a continued focus on condition-specific ingredients and formulations. 

Consumers have come a long way in their understanding of the role that proper nutrition plays in their long-term health and wellness overall. Because our fast-paced lifestyles in many cases leave little time to regularly sit down for a well-rounded meal, fortified, functional products are an ideal vehicle to help fill the nutrient gaps most of us have.

In the not-so-distant past, one would need to visit a health food store to find many of the products that make up this category, but that has changed significantly. Increasing health and wellness concerns have moved functional foods and drinks from a niche segment to a mainstream product category now readily available in one’s local supermarket. Accompany that with the fact that Baby Boomers, who actively look for products to address their changing nutritional needs as they age, are the largest consumer demographic to date and you can see how this growth is possible.

As you can imagine, products that will be of interest to Baby Boomers include those addressing the areas of bone/joint health, osteoporosis and cardiovascular health, just to name a few. The ingredients that seem to be the most in demand are glucosomine and chondroitin for bone/joint health, along with calcium, vitamin D3 and magnesium for osteoporosis. For heart health, nutrients like CoQ10, omega-3 fatty acids and plant sterols and stanols are included in our premixes to address health concerns.

The perennial favorite, weight management, is constantly evolving. With some products touting their fat-burning/metabolism-boosting abilities, ingredients like CLA and capsaicin have been getting some attention, while those that promote satiety may include not only fiber, but protein as well.

The market for products addressing specific health conditions will always thrive. As technology advances and new studies are released on different nutrients and their impact on various health conditions, we will inevitably see those nutrients become in demand. However, we cannot stress enough the importance of taste. Regardless of what the product claims, if it doesn’t taste good, it is destined to fail.