Market research shows that today’s discerning consumers are taking their health into their own hands. They are proactively adding nutritionals to their daily regimen to stay healthy and stave off disease. Three-quarters of U.S. and European consumers say that maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle is essential to them, according to Euromonitor.
 
Consumers play an active role in selecting their nutritional products. First, they look for high-quality products with ingredients that have proven clinical efficacy. They need to trust that the nutritionals they take have scientific support behind the health benefits claimed on the label. They prefer clean label products that are as close to “nature” as possible and feature a short list of ingredients they can read and understand. And, importantly, consumers want flexibility in how they consume these products. They seek specialty products tailored to specific health concerns, such as joint maintenance or exercise recovery. They also want delivery forms that fit their lifestyle, with beverages, capsules, and foods gaining in popularity.
 
Advances in nutritional science are keeping pace to deliver differentiated products that meet the preferences of the health-conscious consumer. The industry is developing ingredients backed by clinical studies, and leveraging the tenets of pharmaceutical delivery science to provide new delivery technologies and manufacturing solutions.

Lonza and Capsugel recently joined forces to further broaden Lonza’s participation across the healthcare continuum and to deepen their commitment to consumer health. Together, the combined company brings a full range of solutions to drive innovative product enhancements for all types of nutritionals, from clinically proven ingredients, to formulation and delivery technologies to manufacturing support, all of which help customers deliver unique products to market faster.
 
We believe there are three pillars that will help the consumer health and nutrition industry develop products that meet the priorities of consumers as they increasingly look to nutritionals to protect against disease and stay healthy.
 
1. Gaining Trust Through Transparency
Today’s consumer wants to know what is inside the nutritional product they are taking—whether a pill, capsule, beverage, or bar. They require nutritional products to contain simple, high-quality ingredients that perform as described. A vast majority (86%) of consumers base their nutritional purchasing decisions on quality, and an equal amount state proof that ingredients work is one of their top priorities when buying dietary/food supplements, according to an online survey by Capsugel and the Natural Marketing Institute in Europe and the U.S.
 
Enhancing transparency of the ingredients and formulation of nutritional products will go a long way in helping build trust and, ultimately, improve opportunities to introduce new and better products in the future. Professionally administered safety and human clinical trials to test the efficacy of nutritional ingredients is a vital first step in demonstrating to consumers that the nutrition industry takes issues of quality and efficacy seriously. For example, Lonza’s UC-II ingredient, which supplies collagen to the body, has been studied in four clinical trials confirming its benefits in joint health, flexibility, and mobility.
 
2. Bringing Differentiated Products to the Market Faster
Being first-to-market makes a difference. But more critical is developing innovative products that stand out from the competition. Nutritional companies and final product manufacturers look for nimble, well-informed partners who understand consumer needs and can help bring new products to market quickly. They want new and efficacious ingredients, new delivery approaches and new claims on the package, which enable their products to stand out in the market.
 
Novel delivery technologies give customers new methods to create differentiation. Innovating nutritionals using technologies borrowed from the pharmaceutical industry results in ingredients that may deliver better bioavailability or provide targeted delivery. Other formulation technologies are making nutritionals taste better and easier to swallow. Ingredient and delivery differentiators improve product marketability and overall potential.
 
With the continued growth of the sports nutrition market, technologies that improve bioavailability of ingredients are increasingly important. Lipid multiparticulates (LMPs), for example, utilize a new technology repurposed from the pharmaceutical industry, and are found in nutritionals. LMPs encapsulate ingredients in small spherical lipid particles, and can provide increased bioavailability, extended release and improved taste. For example, LMP technology can be applied to time released ingredients such as CoQ10 or caffeine. LMPs can be used in a variety of dosage forms, including powder blends and sticks for reconstitution in beverages. 
 
To learn more about the evolving and dynamic Sports/Active Nutrition industry, sign up for this webinar on Nov. 9, which will explore a fresh perspective on supplementation and offer ways to overcome unexpected challenges.
 
3. Innovating Consumer-Centric Solutions
Products that work and fit easily into busy lives are important. Providing a simple, small and easy-to-consume dosage form is key. Consumers are looking past traditional, one-size-fits-all vitamins and minerals to personalized nutritionals with benefit-specific ingredients and unique dosage forms.
 
The digestive health market, for example, is among the fastest-growing nutrition sectors worldwide. Consumers are increasingly choosing probiotics to help address digestive issues. However, probiotics present a known challenge, due to their ingredient instability. This requires specialized encapsulation technology and delivery technology to ensure they are released in the gut where they are best absorbed.
 
Differentiating technologies that address the challenges of encapsulating probiotics include sprinkle capsules and acid-resistant capsules. Sprinkle capsules allow consumers to carry their probiotic in an easy-to-open capsule and simply sprinkle the ingredients directly on food or into a drink. Additionally, acid-resistant capsule technology employs a specialized capsule to protect ingredients from degradation in the stomach and ensure optimal benefit.
 
We believe our industry is making notable strides in addressing changing consumer needs in the consumer health and nutrition space, and we look forward to working together to tackling the next phase of innovation together to better help consumers live healthier and more productive lives.