Senior nutrition is set to be the leading driver of innovation in the functional and nutraceutical sector in 2012, according to the latest edition of New Nutrition Business’ annual trend-spotting report, “10 Key Trends in Food, Nutrition & Health 2012.” The report predicts seniors will represent the most important need group this year because they are over-represented among buyers of all products with health benefits. For example, in recent financial statements, Danone revealed that its Actimel dairy drink brand, the world’s largest immunity brand, was most popular among people over the age of 60.

“Seniors are attractive for many reasons, including their disposable income, their interest in science-based benefits they can feel, their brand loyalty, and their swelling numbers,” said Julian Mellentin, director of New Nutrition Business and author of the report. “They are a target key group for a range of ‘healthy aging’ products and their numbers are growing everywhere—from the U.S. to Europe to China—which means they are the single-biggest opportunity for functional and nutraceutical companies, both in the supermarket and in medical foods. But seniors are not one group. They need to be carefully segmented since needs and attitudes are different at each stage of their life.”

Mr. Mellentin said younger seniors, those aged 50 to 60, are usually still quite active and may be interested in joint health ingredients to help keep them that way. But those at the other end of the scale—in the 70+ age group—will be more concerned about common age-related conditions such as sarcopenia (muscle wastage).

Appropriate packaging is very important if a functional or nutraceutical product is to appeal to seniors, he added. “Smaller packs are needed to take account of the fact that seniors live in couples or alone. Older people also have less appetite and will not thank you if you try to make them drink large volumes of liquid. Use packages that can more easily be opened or re-sealed by people who may be experiencing joint problems or sarcopenia, which both reduce their ability to grip.”

According to the report, the 10 major forces that will define the food and beverage industry this year include: Naturality, Energy, Digestive health, Feel the benefit, Weight management, Movement, Senior nutrition, Dairy, Good grains and Who needs health claims when you have fruit & vegetables?

“For us, a key trend is one that is very clearly a growth opportunity—a trend that a company can connect to in order to earn additional volumes, additional sales and extra profits,” Mr. Mellentin said. “We focus only on those trends that are the underlying key drivers for our industry—not fads or short-term developments with no long-term meaning.

“A key trend has a connection to consumer needs,” he continued, “it has a foundation of some sort in science, it can be the basis of a successful brand message, and it offers opportunities for genuine innovation. Any product tapping into a trend that meets all of these criteria has a strong chance of success in 2012.”