Consumers are finally becoming hip to the idea of fish oil in their yogurt and “friendly” bacteria in their cheese. Why? They have decided to give functional foods another chance.

In October, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) released a consumer survey indicating strong demand for functional foods. According to the data, consumers today are more likely to start adding specific healthy components to their diets, including items such as green tea, fish oil, nuts and fruits and vegetables. Consumers are chasing functional foods because they feel more empowered than ever to take control of their own health. In this vein, IFIC says over three-quarters of consumers overwhelmingly believe food and nutrition play the greatest role in maintaining or improving health. In addition, a whopping 85% also believe certain foods have health benefits that go beyond basic nutrition and may reduce the risk of some diseases.

But consumers are still hungry for information-84% of respondents in the IFIC survey said they are either “somewhat interested” or “highly interested” in becoming more educated about foods with added benefits. The challenge is framing that information in a way that is palatable for consumers.

In this issue, Julian Mellentin, author of our annual functional foods update (page 36), provides, as always, a unique look at the market. One area he claims will become HUGE over the next few years is digestive health. And he’s probably right, because based on the commercials I’ve seen over the last 12 months, it seems Americans have become pretty comfortable talking about their bowels.

Mr. Mellentin believes digestive health is such an attractive target for functional foods because it is firmly tied to wellness. “As market trends have dictated over the last 10 years of functional foods, wellness benefits appeal to a wider range of consumers, while ‘medicalized’ benefits appeal only to a niche,” he said. “Marketers of digestive health products have another big advantage, which is that consumers are most loyal to products where they can feel the benefit pretty quickly. As long as a digestive health product provides an effective probiotic (or fiber) in an effective dose, consumers will register the improvement in their wellness very quickly.”

Turning back to the IFIC survey, the top diet and health relationships named by consumers revolved around bone health, maintaining a healthy digestive system and reducing the risk of heart disease, which are all wellness platforms firmly tied to prevention messages. It is these messages that are really starting to penetrate the consumer psyche and push them toward the cash register. Wellness is the new consumer jackpot.

A couple of months back I was reading a report put together by an investment analyst, who suggested that not only are consumers purchasing purportedly healthier “superfruit” juices, but they are also willing to pay far more for these products compared to “regular” juices. Most of the time these exotic juices are touted as nothing more than “healthy elixirs,” but they are mighty tasty. As Mr. Mellentin points out, “The combination of health, newness, rarity value and convenience enables [them] to command massive price premiums-400% in the case of pomegranate and 800% in the case of mangosteen-compared to regular juice.” Now that’s the ultimate example of prevention becoming both palatable and pricey.

Rebecca Wright
Editor
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