The weight management market may have reached its tipping point. In 2015, big brands such as Weight Watchers and Special K will likely continue to see decreases in sales, according to “10 Key Trends in Food, Nutrition and Health 2015," the new food and health trend forecast from New Nutrition Business.
“Consumers are switching to regular foods to maintain weight wellness, which is creating a wealth of opportunities for big brands and entrepreneurs alike," said Julian Mellentin, author of the report. “People’s desire to maintain a healthy weight and a trim figure is the biggest influence on the key trends in food and health, driving many of the trends in this report. Improving digestive health and avoiding a bloated stomach to maintain a good figure are key reasons why people adopt, for example, a gluten-free or lower-gluten diet, avoiding refined carbs and trying to consume more good grains."
Consumers are increasingly interested in high-protein foods, “good" carbs and fats, gluten-free items and dairy products, according to the report. They are also avoiding products with added sugars and “bad" carbs, affecting brands such as Cheerios, which recently experienced sales decreases of 5 percent. On the other hand, sales of oats and ancient grains are currently soaring.
Maintaining weight wellness also means eating a balanced diet filled with plenty of nutrient-dense foods. Danielle Omar, MS, RD, told an audience of Capitol Hill staffers to take the U.S. dietary guideline seriously, and in areas where Americans fall short of nutrient requirements, supplementing may play an important role.
Omar stressed the importance of these guidelines at the Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus (DSC), which was held by the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the Natural Products Association (NPA) and the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA). She explained that although maximizing nutrient-dense foods is a shared public health goal, data consistently shows consumption of these important foods falls short of recommendations.
Ingredient companies have also made moves to support consumer demands and public goals for healthy, waistline-friendly products.
Univar and BENEO Food Ingredients signed an agreement to make Univar the authorized distributor of BENEO’s specialty and nutritional ingredient products, which fall into three distinct product categories: functional fibers, functional carbohydrates and specialty rice ingredients.
American Medical Holdings Inc. recently partnered with Bio Actives Japan Inc. to launch their newest blend of botanical actives, FB3, which inhibits the absorption of excess dietary fats. FB3 is a proprietary blend of Coleus forskohlii, Salacia reticulata, and Sesamum indicum – standardized for diterpene forskolin, kotanol and salacinol, and sesamin, respectively. These components can inhibit fat absorption to varying degrees and dynamics.
Nutegrity expanded its sales team by adding Mark Smith as eastern regional sales manager, which will help the company meet a growing demand for human nutrition offerings. Smith will support and expand the company’s position with customers in the eastern United States while also building the customer base in the region.