09 Jan 2011 Key Trends in Food, Nutrition and Health 2011

Each December the globally-respected consultancy, New Nutrition Business (NNB), publishes its annual review of the 10 Key Trends in Food, Nutrition & Health. These are the important trends which it believes will shape the business of food and health not only in the next 12 months but for many years beyond trends which every company must take into account in developing a food and nutrition strategy.

Writes NNB’s Julian Mellentin…

“It’s because we only include those with staying power that our list of trends doesn’t change dramatically from year-to-year. This long-term focus enables companies to formulate their plans, innovation and strategy around our trends analysis, as many companies tell us they do. For us a key trend is one which is very clearly a growth opportunity something that a company can connect to in order to earn additional volumes, additional sales and extra profits.

“When trying to identify which trends your company should connect to, it’s essential to distinguish between those that are big, well-established and have little or no growth potential, and those which have high growth potential.

“Consumer research often identifies consumer insights – which are then used as guides to strategy that are in fact only descriptions of trends that have already reached maturity and have no more upside potential. What it doesn’t do often enough is spot the issues which matter to only a small group of people perhaps only 30% of consumers. Counter-intuitively, it is these insights which are often the key trends that will drive your business.

“Let’s take two trends as an example digestive health and ‘all natural’. In one sense, it is true that consumers desire for foods to be ‘as natural as possible’ is the biggest trend. In detail it means that consumers want foods to be free-from everything they think is bad – usually interpreted as free-from artificial preservatives, colours or flavours.

“It has become a common message in the mass market, with every brand that can do so now reformulated to deliver the free-from ‘bad ingredients’ promise. But in fact it’s a trend of no commercial value; it has become a ‘category standard’ for the food and beverage industry, something that almost every brand must do if it can, but it is no longer a point of difference (as it was seven or more years ago).

“Delivering a ‘free-from’ or ‘natural’ product will not give you any extra sales volume or a higher price, it’s just what consumers expect you to do. A trend without the potential for growth through differentiation, to achieve higher volume or higher value is not a trend, it’s just an observation.

“By contrast, digestive health remains an area where sales of products with that benefit are growing  indeed have proven to be recession-proof in many countries. We are confident that, like many companies all over the world that already use our trends research to inform their innovation, R&D and marketing strategies, you will find our 2011 trends report an invaluable weapon in your armoury.”

Herewith a synopsis of NNB’s Ten Key Trends and Seven Micro Trends…

Key Trend 1: Digestive health the biggest growth opportunity

The market for products that offer the benefit of improved digestive health has developed into an enduring success story. It’s now the biggest segment of the functional foods market after energy drinks and looks set to stay that way. It is also possibly the fastest-growing segment of health and the evidence is that its growth will continue.

Worldwide, the value to consumers of products that can help them maintain good digestive health is reflected in the outstanding performance of the few brands that have made delivering this benefit their cornerstone.

Recession proof: Products for digestive health have recently proven themselves to be almost recession-proof, even when selling at premium prices. It has become clear that while consumers are willing to economise in some areas, maintaining good digestive health is one area where committed consumers remain loyal to brands that they can trust, even when they are premium-priced. This is a testament to the power of “feel the benefit” (see Key Trend 3).

Be first to market: A key lesson from the experience of the digestive health market is that in every category there’s usually only room for one or at most two significant brands with digestive health benefits. In the US, for example, Danone Activia is 10 times the size of its next-biggest competitor Yoplait YoPlus, with all other brands trailing even further behind.

 Dairy well-established: In probiotic products, dairy is dominant and it will remain so. The dairy category is now wellestablished and in most countries there are few or no opportunities for new probiotic dairy brands. Any new player in dairy will effectively be a me-too and any brand that finds itself in third place in the market today will probably fail to climb up the rankings.

Probiotic fruit juice promise: In probiotics for digestive health the biggest growth opportunity lies in probiotic fruit juice, an opportunity proven in Scandinavia and now reinforced through Danone’s move into the category in 2010.

Digestive juice the big opportunity: Juice for digestive health whether it’s probiotic or fibre-fortified is the emerging biggest opportunity of the next decade. Juice will not rival dairy but it will take a large niche position. No other food forms will have more than a toehold.

Proven effective products will stand out: Fibre is at last coming of age and added fibre will become an industry standard in many categories such as bread. That means there’s a clear opportunity and need for products to make claims based on human clinical studies which demonstrate their effectiveness and help differentiate these clinically proven products from the many products fortified with low levels of fibre which are flooding onto the market.
Be an expert brand: The biggest opportunity in fibre lies in the potential to create fibre expert brands similar to the probiotic expert brands Activia and Yakult which deliver an effective dose of fibre so that people can feel the benefit. Such brands should also be supported by adequate marketing investment. The first one to emerge was General Mills Fiber One, which has achieved 20% annual growth even at premium prices and even in a recession.

Key Trend 2: Energy – a wealth of new opportunities

As forecast last year, 2010 has been another “year of the energy shot” and 2011 promises more of the same.The astonishingly rapid success of energy shots a market which has grown in the US from zero to over $1billion in retail sales in six years  reflects the extent towhich there are huge areas of untapped opportunities in products for energy.

Feel the benefit advantage: One of the biggest advantages a product can have is to deliver a benefit that consumers can quickly see or feel. Energy drinks deliver a benefit that is immediately effective and detectable and this benefit explains much of their global success.

Category defined by beverages: The energy drinks market is one of the biggest success stories of the functional food revolution that began in Japan in the 1950s even today in Japan, the biggest functional brand is still an energy drink.

Top-4 consumer need: “Lack of energy” is a key consumer interest for stressed executives trying to stay on top of their responsibilities, for harassed and time-pressed mothers, for older people who want to stay active, or for anyone struggling to get through a sleepy afternoon in the office.

Opportunities to create new markets, find new opportunities with fruit, dairy and “naturalness”: Because of the focus in the West at least of the brands in the established energy drink category on males aged 18-24, there remains a wealth of untapped opportunities.

Super-premium, super-convenient concentrated dose: “Shots” are creating a new category in the US and the UK, with the US market alone soaring to perhaps $1 billion (660 million) in retail sales between 2004 and 2009. The shot format has still a huge potential to be fulfilled, primarily from creating brands and concepts with better appeal to older consumers and particularly women.

New ingredients and carriers: There are a wealth of opportunities to develop new product formats, use new ingredients with a higher “natural and healthy” score than found in the current energy drinks and use new carriers something other than caffeinated beverages with better health credentials, such as dairy and fruit juices.

Key Trend 3: Feel the benefit – the most powerful marketing message

One of the biggest marketing advantages a product can have – and the surest way to create brand loyalty is to deliver a benefit that the consumer can quickly see or feel.

What consumers want most. Offering a benefit the consumer can feel has become even more important  and effective in a tough economic environment. When people can feel the benefit being offered to them, they see that they are getting value-for-money.

Key to building successful brands. A “feel the benefit” effect is the underpinning of the success of energy drinks and products for digestive health. These are among the top consumer health concerns and all consumers top concerns relate to problems where delivering a tangible effect is critical for product credibility.

Measure it and show it if they can‘t feel it. If consumers can’t immediately feel the benefit of your product, then show them the benefit as Kellogg has done with Special K’s Drop a Jeans Size challenge and Anlene has done with its Bone Health Check.

Supporting science is increasingly important. Sales of Anlene have jumped 15% in the Asian markets where the message “Protect your bone strength within 4 weeks” based on the results of a clinical study has been introduced.

Lack of a quick and easy-to-feel effect can inhibit success. This has been a particular problem for products fortified with omega-3s, which provide no readily measurable effect, and brands that promise healthier skin have the same challenge.

Key Trend 4: Fruit – the future of food and health

The trend towards consumers wanting health benefits that are as natural as possible and ideally intrinsic to the product or ingredient that is delivering them has benefited fruit more than any other commodity. Fruit are all natural, offer intrinsic health benefits and connect perfectly with the worldwide consumer desire for products that give natural health.

Fruit has several advantages:

• Fruit is seen by health-conscious consumers as oneof the few things they can eat as an indulgence without feeling any guilt.
• More than any other food type, fruit has a halo of health, one that’s being made brighter all the time as a steady stream of news about fruits benefits, such as fibre and antioxidants, makes its way into a media eager for simple and positive stories about healthy eating.

A key driver: Alongside dairy, fruit will be a key driver of the food and health trend. Fruit is increasingly becoming one of the most important vehicles for delivering a wide array of health benefits to consumers. Sales of niche fruits and fruits with some novelty value will continue to grow strongly. Fruits with a health benefit that can be substantiated by science those with the most scientific studies behind them will be the most successful.

Packaging adds convenience: Main growth will be in fruit in more convenient forms, such as packaged snacks, and beverages. Packaging innovation is key to differentiation and market success.

Growth in drinks: The fruit drink market will not only grow but more sub-segments will appear, targeting more specific health conditions than the current high in antioxidants message that is used as the standard communication for superfruits. There is an unfulfilled opportunity to create a new category of juices with digestive health benefits, based on fibre or probiotics.

Fruit in Europe: In Europe, despite the restrictions on health claims, fruit provides the opportunity to create health brands without claims by choosing fruit with a positive health image and ideally an association with specific benefits, and delivering them as a snack or beverage in strongly differentiated packaging. 

Key Trend 5: Weight Management

It’s been another lean year for the development of theweight management opportunity, despite the fact that overweight is one of the leading issues identified by consumers that affect them personally, according to consumer researchers Heath Focus International whose most recent survey found overweight increasing significantly as a consumer concern compared to previous years, with 24% identifying it as a personal issue.

Unlike digestive health (Key Trend 1) and energy (Key Trend 2), where some “expert brands” have defined the category and taken leadership, the whole area of weight management is still a wide open opportunity. Worldwide, just one brand has become amajor success Kellogg’s Special K breakfast cereal, which is today the world’s biggest and most successful weight management brand. Ironically, it’s a brand that isn’t based on a new ingredient or a new technology; its success rests solely on a clever and different marketing strategy. Special K is just a regular breakfast cereal  but one that has been positioned and marketed for weight management better than any other food or beverage brand.

Weight management is still a wide open opportunity: Worldwide, just one brand has become a major success Kellogg’s Special K breakfast cereal. Weight management remains an embryonic market which is still new enough for companies to create opportunities and carve out new businesses.

The science of weight management is constantly evolving: As the science develops it throws up new opportunities to create effective products, as evidenced this year by research around high protein/ low-GI diets, WeightWatchers points system overhaul, and a rare regulatory approval for a weight management claim (for konjac fibre).

Satiety promise: Products that give a sense of satiety ought to become the largest area of weight management consumers can easily feel the benefit of being fuller longer. However, satiety products have not performed well most products so far on the market, it seems, are just not effective enough.

Service please: Putting a weight-management product on the shelf is not enough you have to actually provide a service. The success of concepts such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig and Special K, with its eating programme shows how much people value support and service in reaching their weight management goals. This will, of course, require a significant commitment in terms of investment and technology.

Key Trend 6: Naturally healthy and ultra convenient

The message that a food or food ingredient has a natural and intrinsic health benefit is one of the most persuasive in food marketing. For many consumers a health benefit that is intrinsic to the product – such as oats and heart health, blueberries and antioxidants is the only one they will accept without hesitation.

Natural health benefits are also an idea thats easy for the media to understand and easier still for time-pressed journalists to explain. The media is always hungry for stories about foods with an intrinsic health benefit  oats, almonds, cranberries and blueberries have all benefited from media attention and the medias labeling of them as “superfoods”. But most often, consumers dont want their superfoods in their “whole, fresh and unprocessed” state that isnt convenient enough. Supermarket sales data makes it clear that time-pressed consumers want their “all-natural” health benefit packaged, presented and if necessary processed into a format that makes their life easier.

“Natural” has strong appeal to consumers: Marketing the intrinsic health benefit of a food or food ingredient continues to be the most popular health marketing strategy in the industry since this message is one of the most appealing to consumers, who will accept it without hesitation.

Convenience is key: The most successful products are those that offer their natural and intrinsic health benefits in a highly convenient format usually a beverage or snack.

Natural snacks: Demand for snack products is increasing and can only grow more because of the gradual disappearance of traditional meal occasions. A focus on building markets for new snack concepts rather than simply following on with predictable products has already led to the creation of some innovative snacking concepts.

Key Trend 7: Packaging & Premiumisation

When people in our industry ask us about trends, very often too often in fact they ask “What are the hit ingredients?”. This is the wrong question, because they should be asking “What are the trends that will deliver increased sales and profits?’ When you look at trends from that perspective it soon becomes apparent that selection of packaging formats, packaging innovations and the rise of consumers willing to pay premiums for health are bigger trend drivers than most individual ingredients will ever be.

Good packaging, particularly innovative packaging, is crucial to creating successful health propositions in increasingly over-crowded markets. At its best, packaging supports the brand in asserting its difference from the competition. Its the best way to catch the consumers eye and earn premium prices and betterthan- average profit margins.

Packaging lessons learned: More and more companies are learning to apply some of the key lessons of the last 15 years, which are that:
a) packaging innovation is key to success in the business of food and health
b) the biggest successes in the business of food and health are in single-serve products
c) concentrated dose of the effective ingredient 100% of what you need in a single-serve has extraordinary resonance with the most health-conscious consumers
d) focus on lower-volume, higher-margin niches of loyal consumers rather than targeting the price-sensitive mass market these niche consumers are the same ones for whom packaging innovations have most value.

Better prices, higher margins: After all, there isnt much point in putting in a major effort to create a health brand, with all the development costs and higher ingredient costs that often entails, unless youre going to be able to earn superior retail prices and therefore higher profit margins.

Key Trend 8: Antioxidants – popular but future uncertain

Many marketers love the term “antioxidants” and many consumers do too, though not as many as some marketers like to believe. Recent years have seen a frenzy of interest in using terms such as “high in antioxidants” on product labels and in advertising. However, the antioxidant frenzy seems to have passed its peak and with marketing, regulatory and scientific challenges mounting, the use of the marketing term “antioxidants’ will only be effective only in niches where it is delivered by innovative products, supported by excellent marketing execution and by strong science.

Regulation threat: Fuelled by the often questionable science, regulators in Europe and the US are training their guns on antioxidants and their lead may provide a cue to regulators elsewhere. Europes rigorous new health claims system has rejected every antioxidant-based claim that has come before it.

Suffering from overuse: So common has the message “high in antioxidants” become that using it will not result in higher sales or higher selling prices. Marketers of new products will have to move beyond the high-in-antioxidant message and invest in science so that like other functional foods they can be more specific in their benefit statements.

Key Trend 9: Immunity’s regulatory and marketing speed-bumps

Theres little doubt that better immune function in the sense of better defences against colds and flu is high on consumers wish list. According to research by Health Focus International in 32 countries, “frequent colds/flu” has evolved into one of the top- four health issues for consumers, with the percentage saying it is an issue that affects them personally rising to 28% in the companys 2010 survey, from 22% in 2008.

Hence it isnt surprising to find sales of dietary supplements claiming an immune benefit on the increase, according to Nutrition Business Journal. It reports rising US sales of vitamin C (up 8% to $970 million/727 million), echinacea (up 7% to $130 million/$97.5 million) and other ingredients associated with immunity. Worldwide, better immunity for their children is the top health concern of mothers which is why better immunity is the benefit offered by most brands of infant formula as well as many dairy products aimed at the three-to-nine age group. 

Consumers interest in immunity is high. Worldwide, immunity ranks among consumers top-4 health concerns that affect them personally and boosting childrens immunity is a particular concern for parents.

Scientific substantiation. Scientifically the immune-boosting effect has been hard to demonstrate to the satisfaction of regulators.

Feel the benefit. Moreover, many products do not enable consumers to quickly and easily “feel the benefit” (Key Trend 3) and only one brand has made “feel the difference” a key part of its marketing Danone Actimel, now the worlds biggest immunity brand. Marketers have yet to work out an effective execution strategy for immunity and hence shy away from it other than as a very broad “wellness” message an approach which regulators are now targeting.

Claims under attack. Regulators have come down hard on immunity claims and show every sign that they will continue to take a strong line against them. All of the above factors have together held immunity back from becoming a Key Trend, which is what consumer interest suggests it should be and could become in time.

Key Trend 10: Bones and movement

Bones and movement may seem a strange team, but theyre a pairing already made by the worlds most successful bone health brand, the Asian-based dairy brand Anlene, in response to consumer insight. Its a more relevant description than either “bone health” or “joint health”, neither of which by itself captures the niche opportunity that is emerging.

Scope for niche brands: For companies willing to provide the right marketing support for a product that can deliver an effective dose in a clinically-proven, ultra-convenient, premium-priced, niche, delicious-tasting form, and willing to grow the brand slowly, there is scope for niche brands with a bone-joint-movement health benefit platform.

Beverages growing: Although joint health is a market dominated by pills, in America beverage brands are challenging that dominance with convenience and better taste. Beverages are enjoying double digit growth.

Glucosamine – opportunities beyond Europe: Beverages based on glucosamine cannot now be marketed in Europe because of health claims regulations but the idea has potential in the rest of the world.

Anlene leads the way: Fonterras Anlene remains the pioneer in the area of differentiated, premium bone health dairy brands.

Concentrated dose: the pioneering products both for bone and joint health show the power of providing a concentrated and effective dose of the active ingredient.

New niche in kids nutrition: the increasingly compelling evidence about bone formation in the years 9-13 opens a new niche for concentrated dose products for the most health-conscious mothers (see Micro-Trend 2).

Micro-Trend 1: Protein

Opportunities in weight management and muscle wasting: Demand for high-quality sources of protein is set to grow significantly in the years ahead; the biggest opportunities lie in protein products targeting weight management and sarcopenia (muscle wasting). The latter is an issue which affects everyone past the age of 60 and boomers can be expected to create new niches for products that help maintain their muscle strength and therefore their activity levels and independence.

Still to find the right strategy: The industry has not yet found an executable and successful product and marketing strategy a key factor in keeping protein (for now) as a Micro-Trend.

Format key to success: Protein needs to be delivered in formats that are credible to consumers. It makes sense as a meal centre, as the success of Quorn mycoprotein shows. Cookies is a format thats been a hit with elderly consumers. In beverages, proteins natural partner is a dairy drink, particularly one offering a “concentrated dose”. However, products that combine protein with water have not worked and other combinations might also be challenging.

Micro-Trend 2: The reinvention of dairy

Dairy demonization unfounded? New science suggests that dairy particularly saturated fat in dairy has been over-vilified and it is now set to develop an (even) more favourable “health halo”. Evidence is emerging that it may even benefit heart health. This changing perception will gradually lead to more marketing and product development opportunities.

Opportunities in sports recovery drinks: Dairies in the US are making the most of scientific research that suggests chocolate milk is an ideal sports recovery drink better even than isotonic drinks like Gatorade.

Teen girls bone health: There is increasing evidence about the extent to which the years 9-13 are the most important for bone formation among girls, creating an opportunity for products which health-conscious mothers can give to their daughters.

Micro-Trend 3: The rise of vitamin D

Growing scientific support, more evidence of deficiency: Vitamin D is coming into an ever-stronger position in short supply in the diet and (in the winter months in particular) not available to many people from sunlight. At the same time science is growing in support of its benefits. Researchers have posited benefits from vitamin D in many areas, including heart disease, immune function, depression, diabetes, neuromuscular function and osteoarthritis not to mention its well-established benefits in conjunction with calcium in supporting bone density.

 Health claim potential: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has made vitamin D the subject of one of its all-too-rare health claim approvals, in relation to immune function one of the areas where regulators demand for substantiation is becoming more exacting.

Supplement sales soaring: Supplements have become a reliable and safe source of vitamin D augmentation and US sales of vitamin D supplements rocketed in 2009, rising 82%.

Opportunity in Asia, Middle East, Europe: In particular, theres an opportunity in Europe, the Middle East and Asia to create products which specifically offer benefits from vitamin D, as evidenced both by insufficiencies and by regulatory approval.

Opportunity in “concentrated dose”: Innovation in packaging and marketing will be essential to make the most of the embryonic vitamin D opportunity. A Yakult or Actimel-type daily dose drink product, based on a significant dose of vitamin D (perhaps 100% the RDV) as its active ingredient, will be the best route to effective differentiation and better margins. With vitamin D’s image as “the sunshine vitamin” it is easier for consumers to accept and relate to its benefi ts giving marketers a head-start. Vitamin D may yet become a much bigger opportunity than anyone has yet imagined they could be.

Micro-Trend 4: Ageing population, good science lift cholesterol-lowering

It might seem hard to believe that we can describe a market with total retail sales of over 1 billion ($1.3 billion) as a Micro-Trend  but its important never to be dazzled by flashy numbers. Data is, after all, useless without interpretation. That 1 billion is split between three brands Unilevers Pro.activ, Danones Danacol and Benecol and across more than 30 countries. Compared to the market for digestive health, cholesterol-lowering is only one twentieth the size.

Moreover, even at 1 billion and with its recent rapid growth rates, the sterol-based cholesterol-lowering foods market is less than 10% the size of what was forecast 10 years ago.

Even the broader heart health market merits only Micro-Trend status. Its often cited as the second-largest part of the functional foods market after digestive health, but drill down into the sales of heart-health products and youll find that the largest percentage is made up of long-established products that later added heart health as an “all natural and intrinsic” benefit. Although the addition of the heart health message brings an increase in sales, it may not be very much or very long-lasting unless the brand scores highly on convenience and other factors.

Demographics favourable: Markets for cholesterol lowering foods are much smaller than forecast 10 years ago, but the rapid ageing of the population is now causing increases in sales.

Boost in Europe: In Europe in particular, approval for a cholesterol-lowering health claim, together with an ageing population, has boosted sales of these foods in Italy, for example, Danones Danacol cholesterol-lowering brand enjoyed a 28.8% increase in value to August 2009, even while the Italian economy contracted by 6%.

Micro-Trend 5: The kids market where natural and convenient beat fortification

No matter how healthy, convenient, or low-priced your product is, no matter how high-quality the ingredients or how “free from” and “no added bad things” its credentials are, if a mother has to force her children to eat it, its just not worth the effort. Making a health-conscious mothers life easier is one of the most persuasive ways of earning her loyalty and repeat purchase according to an ACNielsen study, approximately 34% of mothers think that their children are “picky about food”. Five years ago, there were a host of companies hoping that adding ingredients with health benefits would enable them to conquer the kids food category.

The brain health benefits of omega-3, for example, were held up by ingredient suppliers as an opportunity to create a point of difference that “every mother” would respond to. But now we know that natural beats omega- 3 every time.

US branding agency Just Kids, which specialises in products for children, describes a fortification-focused strategy as “Sin number six” of the many things that companies can do wrong in trying to develop a kid-specific food: “All too often, added ingredients only add clutter and confusion to natural products and seldom add sales revenues. Be careful and thoughtful, always looking through to the consumer benefit, before fooling with Mother Nature.”

The trends in the kids market are now firmly established and show little sign of change anytime soon:
1. Natural and free-from “bad ingredients”. “Natural” is nothing to do with science and everything to do with consumer beliefs.
2. Convenient minimum preparation required by the parent.
3. My child will eat it beat the picky eater
4. Tastes so good the child will ask for it again and again. Make parents lives easier design your product so that children want to eat it and will ask for it. Pay attention to taste first so healthy is not a chore.
5. Innovative packaging 

Micro-Trend 6: Probiotics new niches

New formats: Besides their obvious application in products for digestive health and immunity, which we have covered elsewhere in this report, probiotics have promise in a number of embryonic new formats, targeting new consumer groups and new conditions, such as dental health. However, many of these areas will be small, condition-specific niches.

Gum a credible carrier: probiotic gums for oral health have promise and could reach $100 million in the next five years.

Micro-Trend 7: Stress, relaxation and sleep

Sleeplessness and stress are major problems for consumers: Theres a consumer need for products that help with stress and sleeplessness. However, the market for such products remains a Micro-Trend, its development hampered by the perceived lack of ingredients that can deliver an effective benefit and also meet the normal criteria for inclusion in a food or beverage, coupled with uncertainty about how to communicate a sleep or stress benefit and not fall foul of health claim regulators.

The realm of start-ups: In the US, relaxation drinks offering either stress or sleep benefits have become a legitimate niche of some 350 start-up brands, worth about $10 million (7.9 million).

A beverage opportunity: The category is currently dominated by beverages, since they offer more scope in terms of ingredients formulation, flavour and convenience. Given how beverages also dominate energy its likely that they will also be the major part of any future stress/relaxation market.

A dairy opportunity: In many countries a “milky drink” at bedtime is believed to aid sleep, and already a few dairy companies have tried to capitalize on this, marketing milks naturally high in melatonin (a natural aid to sleep that is widely used in OTC and supplements). Consumer reception has been good but most have disappeared as the result of regulatory challenges.

Sleep or just relaxation? No company has yet established a winning strategy for relaxation beverages for formulation, positioning, packaging, distribution or marketing. Opinion is divided over whether these products should promote sleep or just relaxation, a decision that would determine much about brand strategy.

About New Nutrition Business

1. 10 Key Trends in Food, Nutrition & Health is an annual analysis of the long-term drivers in the business of food and health, published every year since 1995 by New Nutrition Business (www.new-nutrition.com).

2. Julian Mellentin is one of the world’s very few global specialists in the business of food, nutrition and health. He is co-author of The Functional Foods Revolution: Healthy people, healthy profits? and Commercialising Innovation: The Food & Health Marketing Handbook.

3. Julian Mellentin can be reached at [email protected].