Immune health has overtaken weight management, vitality and beauty as the principal focus of functional drinks innovation
Immune health has overtaken weight management, vitality and beauty as the principal focus of functional drinks innovation in the first half of 2006, according to the functionaldrinks newsletter from leading industry consultants Zenith International.
Key immune health priorities being targeted by companies are digestive health, physiological stress and cellular function. Consumers are evidently responding enthusiastically, with a marked rise in the sales of drinks based on: probiotics; green tea; antioxidant 'superfruits' such as pomegranate, açai, acerola, noni and mangosteen; or other fruits such as blackcurrants, blueberries and cranberries that can also be strongly marketed for their immune benefits.
Of 120 new products tracked by functionaldrinks in the first half of 2006, 24% placed emphasis on their potential to strengthen the immune system. This trend became apparent in the second half of 2005 when immune health accounted for 23% of new product development, followed by weight management and vitality both at 18%, beauty at 17% and heart health at 8%.
Alongside this increase in the number of products addressing specific health issues, there has also been a substantial level of investment in functional beverages designed for specific age groups and in beverages with a more natural image and feel.
"Consumers are increasingly proactive in their attitude towards wellness and wellbeing", commented functionaldrinks Editor Jenny Foulds. "Recognising this, beverage manufacturers are now shifting more towards positive action and prevention rather than cure. As companies pack more and more targeted ingredients into new products, the distinction between wellness, enriched and nutraceutical products is becoming progressively blurred."
The main overall trends highlighted by functionaldrinks in 2006 so far are: the use of probiotics and antioxidant-rich ingredients; functional products designed for specific consumer groups; added emphasis on natural ingredients; and combi-functionality products with more than one targeted functional ingredient.
Issued 25 times a year, Zenith International's functionaldrinks newsletter on the global functional drinks market is the definitive resource for tracking this dynamic beverage category. Call Zenith International on +44 (0)1225 327900 or visit www.functionaldrinksnews.com
For further information, please contact:
Key immune health priorities being targeted by companies are digestive health, physiological stress and cellular function. Consumers are evidently responding enthusiastically, with a marked rise in the sales of drinks based on: probiotics; green tea; antioxidant 'superfruits' such as pomegranate, açai, acerola, noni and mangosteen; or other fruits such as blackcurrants, blueberries and cranberries that can also be strongly marketed for their immune benefits.
Of 120 new products tracked by functionaldrinks in the first half of 2006, 24% placed emphasis on their potential to strengthen the immune system. This trend became apparent in the second half of 2005 when immune health accounted for 23% of new product development, followed by weight management and vitality both at 18%, beauty at 17% and heart health at 8%.
Alongside this increase in the number of products addressing specific health issues, there has also been a substantial level of investment in functional beverages designed for specific age groups and in beverages with a more natural image and feel.
"Consumers are increasingly proactive in their attitude towards wellness and wellbeing", commented functionaldrinks Editor Jenny Foulds. "Recognising this, beverage manufacturers are now shifting more towards positive action and prevention rather than cure. As companies pack more and more targeted ingredients into new products, the distinction between wellness, enriched and nutraceutical products is becoming progressively blurred."
The main overall trends highlighted by functionaldrinks in 2006 so far are: the use of probiotics and antioxidant-rich ingredients; functional products designed for specific consumer groups; added emphasis on natural ingredients; and combi-functionality products with more than one targeted functional ingredient.
Issued 25 times a year, Zenith International's functionaldrinks newsletter on the global functional drinks market is the definitive resource for tracking this dynamic beverage category. Call Zenith International on +44 (0)1225 327900 or visit www.functionaldrinksnews.com
For further information, please contact:
Gary Roethenbaugh or Jenny Foulds, Zenith International Ltd
7 Kingsmead Square w Bath BA1 2AB w United Kingdom
t +44 (0)1225 327900 w f +44 (0)1225 327901
zenithinternational.com
