Beverage Manufacturers Leaning Towards More Natural Ingredients

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With the continuing rise of “better-for-you” products, beverage companies have incorporated healthy ingredients to their new drinks. Today, the latest trend in the industry is functional beverages.  Functional beverages are defined as refreshing drinks that come with a multitude of health benefits. To incorporate these benefits into their products, beverage brands have used herbal extracts and natural sugars to amplify the nutritional value of the drinks and improve the natural flavor of the beverage.

Diversity in Natural Beverages

Although the use of natural ingredients is on the rise for many beverage companies, the challenge lies on how companies should reinvent flavors. With many fruits and vegetables in their arsenal, it is quite challenging to find great matches for vegetables like cucumber, beets, and carrots. Traditionally, they have worked with different fruits and spices like berries, apples, mint, and ginger.

In today’s society, where modern consumers are empowered with tons of new information connecting their health to the food they eat, consumers have a high affinity towards a healthy diet and a good quality of life. It is the reason why they are not hesitant to spend extra for nutritious foods and beverages. There are also many people who have shifted their diets to vegan and vegetarian. These people follow a particular diet with many restrictions. In the United States alone, the number of vegans and vegetarians continues to rise.

The healthy drink industry has diversified to meet the demands of many clients. Today, you can find healthy energy drinks that are not laden with caffeine, artificial sugar, and other derivatives. Healthy energy drinks are now made up of natural ingredients that are much cleaner and better fo you than traditional energy drink ingredients. Examples of ingredients that are used in creating healthy energy drinks include tea, guarana, and other natural sweeteners. 

healthy beverage fruits vegetables fruve 15 nutrifusion grandfusionThe Effects of  Healthy Beverage Development

So, what is the effect of this shift observed in beverage companies? The use of healthy fruits and vegetables has triggered new impulses regarding drinking such beverages. For instance, beverage companies would never dare to use vegetables in making their drinks. But now, vegetables are the main ingredients in creating healthy drinks and, surprisingly, it provides a harmonious complement with fruits. A fantastic example is a fast growing company called Fruve, with a variety of fruit and vegetable based ingredients, Fruve is developing 15 servings of fruits and vegetables per bottle.

Clean Labeling Trend

As mentioned earlier, the other trend that beverage manufacturers are keen to implementing is clean labeling. Clean labeling encourages companies to become transparent with the ingredients that they use to make their drinks. It emphasizes the customers’ demands to choose products that are made from natural sources. Significant growth is possible in healthy and natural beverage development. It will be interesting to see how the industry players strategize to win this new market share.

Inspired by http://www.foodingredientsfirst.com

Most Demanded Superfoods: Avocado, Turmeric, and Kale

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Superfoods are considered nutrient powerhouses that have a lot of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and other compounds that are known to be highly beneficial to the body. Eating superfoods can decrease the risk of diseases, extend life, and improve overall vitality of the body. According to Search Laboratory, there is a growing trend to consume more superfoods in the foods we eat every day.

Superfoods have become very popular in with people dedicated to a healthy lifestyle. Superfood consumption is very common among young adults who want to embrace healthy eating habits. It is interesting to take note that you can probably already find superfoods in your home.  In fact, a Google trend reports reveals that while there are many superfoods that you can buy from the supermarket, there are three that top the list–avocado, turmeric, and kale.

1. Superfoods: Avocado

Avocado is a buttery green fruit that is an essential ingredient in guacamole. As one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world, Avocado contains high amounts of fiber, Vitamin E, magnesium, potassium, and folate.

Avocado also contains copious amounts of monounsaturated fat, a healthy kind of fat. The amount of monounsaturated fat in avocado is almost similar to the amount found in olive oil. The monounsaturated fat found in avocado is oleic acid. Oleic acid helps lower your cholesterol level particularly low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which are considered as the bad cholesterol. It can also increase the amount of good high-density lipoproteins (HDL).

2. Superfoods: Turmeric

turmeric superfoodsTurmeric is a favorite spice in Asian cuisine. For centuries, it has been used in South Asia as a medicine. Turmeric has a lot of health benefits, and it is known to treat arthritis, acne, heart diseases, and Parkinson’s disease. This particular spice contains high amounts of curcumin—a powerful antioxidant. Curcumin is also a potent anti-inflammatory compound that can relieve different types of inflammation in the body. It can help improve the condition of patients who have diabetes and even cancer.

Turmeric milk wherein turmeric powder is added to milk with honey is not the only way of enjoying this superfood. Turmeric can be prepared in other ways to get its benefits. You can make it into a tea and add a hint of black pepper to improve its potency.

3. Superfoods: Kale

kale superfood

Kale is a leafy green vegetable related to other cruciferous plants like cabbages and cauliflowers.  It is a powerhouse packed with beta-carotene (Vitamin A), Vitamin C, quercetin, and kaempferol. It is one of the few vegetables that have a high Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) value. This rating measures the ability of the plant compounds to scavenge free radicals.

Consumption of kale has many health benefits. It can prevent cardiovascular diseases, macular degeneration, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis to name a few. It can also keep the integrity of the skin; that keeps it looking great. Kale also contains flavonoids like glucosinolates, sinigrin, glucobrassicin, and glucoraphanin that convert isothiocyanates in the gut that helps prevent or suppress the growth of multiple types of cancerous tumors.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com

Mintel’s 2017 Global Food and Drink Industry Trends

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Now that 2016 is over, it’s time to look at the food and beverage trends shaping up to make an impact in 2017. Mintel recently announced the top six trends that they believe will see fast growth this year. Check out their predictions below!

1. Traditional Processing

While our food today is made using modern processing, many people are now opting for foods made by conventional processing techniques. Companies are looking at using age-old formulation as well as classic flavors. People tend to view these foods as safe, reliable, and recognizable. This trend can be attributed to the recent rise of ancient recipes, cooking practices, and traditions that have resurfaced to incite the feeling of familiarity in the kitchen and food.

2. Plant-Based Formulation

Plant-based diets are becoming more popular, and Mintel expects this to be a huge area for growth in the industry. As a result, the food and drink industry is developing more products that emphasize using plant-based ingredients. This trend will not only be perfect for vegans and vegetarians but also flexitarians. We predict there will be an increased consumption of vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, grains and other botanical products.

3. Zero Food Waste

The year 2017 will be the year of the environment. But how does that relate to food? The answer is zero food waste. Today, many food manufacturers and restaurant owners want to address the growing problem of food waste. There will be an increasing awareness among people to use “ugly” produce as well as repurposing food ingredients to avoid wastage.

4. Night Shift Market

In today’s fast-paced life, many people have to work at night when we are all asleep. This lifestyle creates a new market niche for food manufacturers. Companies are developing products that are solely dedicated to nighttime workers as well as those who stay up late at night. Products such as teas made from lavender and chamomile are now introduced to night owls so that they can relax better just before their bedtime.

5. Healthy Food for Everyone

In the past years, only people from the higher income brackets could afford to eat healthily. Fortunately, 2017 will be the year when even lower-income consumers can afford to eat healthily.  2016 helped drive this change with companies like Annie’s leading the Everybunny campaign and other organizations lobbying for subsidized fruits and vegetables to keep prices low.

6. Convenient Healthy Foods

Convenience has been driving change in food for over 30 years, but the new opportunity is in creating fast, healthy foods. People want to eat food conveniently so many food and drink manufacturers are developing new ways to deliver their products faster without compromising the taste and nutritional content.

If you have noticed, the trends of 2017 revolve around the idea of eating convenient, healthy, and reliable foods. It’s not that surprising if you’ve watched the market over the past few years. It will be interesting to see which companies take advantage of these growth opportunities in 2017 and beyond.

Inspired by www.mintel.com

Consumers Prefer Nutrients From Food Rather Than Pills

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Vitamins and minerals are critical to cell function in our bodies. The body’s ability to efficiently absorb nutrients is the reason why we are now living longer than our ancestors. There are multiple ways to get essential minerals and elements into our body, and while the most traditional method is by eating food, many people prefer to take dietary supplements.

The Rise Of Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements are pills or powders not approved by the FDA that contain nutrients that people adopt to increase the sufficient quantities of vitamins and minerals that they need. Supplements include not only vitamins and minerals but also amino acids, fiber, protein, and fatty acids.

To date, there are more than 50,000 dietary supplements available in the United States. In fact, 55% of the adult population take one or more nutritional supplements per day; with the majority consuming the popular multivitamins.

The dietary supplement industry is a multibillion-dollar industry, and many people are caught in the hype of taking supplements for health reasons. However, the problem is that people take in supplements with the assumption that they can prevent or treat diseases. Most people forget to eat a healthy and balanced diet because they rely so much on supplements.

Supplements Are Not Magic

It’s crucial to realize that dietary supplements can never take the place of having a well-balanced diet.  As mentioned earlier, popping pills cannot make up for your bad eating habits. Supplements are not magic pills, and you might still not be getting the nutrients you need if you don’t focus your attention on eating real foods.

Supplements are not regulated. Anyone can buy as many supplements as they want to take. Unfortunately, intake of dietary supplements without your doctor’s signal can also cause more harm than good. For instance, researchers from the Iowa Women’s Health Study noted that women aged 55 years old and above have not gained significant benefits in taking calcium supplements. On the other hand, excessive intake of Vitamin E–a well-known antioxidant–can cause a higher risk of heart failure as well as premature death.

Eat Your Nutrients Instead

Because people are becoming aware that taking in supplements have more disadvantages than advantages, many have shifted to eating their nutrients instead. Nutrient-dense foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains contain micronutrients that are necessary for the cells to function properly. Moreover, these plant-based foods also contain dietary fiber that has many benefits like improving heart health, maintaining stable blood pressure and blood sugar. Lastly, these foods also contain phytochemicals that are compounds that help protect the body against certain diseases.

If you are looking for a way to still add food based vitamins to your diet because you still see deficiencies, you should try NutriFusion’s whole fruit and vegetable based vitamin blends. With one teaspoon, you will be able to add 50% daily value of 12 different plant-based vitamins including Vitamin A, C, D, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, and B9.

While this new trend of eating your nutrients to stay healthy is becoming popular, some nutritionists believe that consumers should not only rely on food as their source of minerals; like the body does not quickly absorb some minerals. In fact, scientists are working to create ways for the body to quickly absorb vitamins and minerals as well as make sure that that the minerals have a longer shelf life.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com

Nutritional Sprays: A New Mode of Delivery for Supplements

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Pharmaceutical and supplement companies are constantly looking for ways to make it easier to deliver drugs and supplements to the body. Currently, the most common delivery system is pills and capsules which go through the oral route.

However, innovations are making it possible for people to see new changes in the scene of pharmaceutics. Gone will be the days when people only rely on pills and capsule supplements.  A French company, Erbalab, is banking on the idea of nutritional sprays as an alternative way to deliver nutrition to the body. Headed by Nicolas Brodetsky, the company has launched 16 sprays that use airless pump bottles similar to those utilized in the cosmetic industry. The company is developing different products including herbal extracts to improve overall well-being.

What Is a Sublingual Spray Nutrition?

As the name implies, the sublingual spray nutritional spray is made from herbal extracts and is delivered through a sublingual format which is placed at the base or back of the tongue. The extracts are kept inside a specialized spray bottle that comes with a mister so that the back of the tongue can be easily targeted.

The tongue has hundreds of capillaries. Thus the nutrition can be quickly taken up directly by the tiny blood vessels. Unlike traditional pills and capsules, the oral nutritional sprays contain potent mixtures of herbal extracts. Users only need to spray a small amount to get the results.  The oral nutritional spray is equivalent to taking ten pills or capsules, which makes it very convenient.

Why the Sublingual Route?

The company emphasizes on the sublingual delivery of the oral nutritional spray. Many pharmaceutical experts view sublingual delivery as a promising alternative to the traditional capsule route. In a study conducted by researchers from India’s Kurukshetra University in 2011, it has been noted that this mode of delivery is useful for people who have problems with swallowing, such as the children and the elderly.

The rapid release of the active compounds directly into the bloodstream also promotes immediate effects. Conventional pills that are delivered through the oral route need to be broken down by the stomach acids then transported to the small intestines where the active ingredients will be slowly reabsorbed by the body. Because there are a lot of reactions involved, the potency of the pills are typically reduced in half. With a sublingual delivery system, the supplements can take effect within 10 to 15 minutes.

Benefits of The Sublingual Nutritional Sprays

Many consumers associate pills and nutrients as drugs even if they are just supplements. This negative connotation makes taking pills and capsules highly unattractive to many patients. When customers brand pills and capsules as “pharma,” they get two perceptions: (1) the products are more effective or (2) they may cause a lot of side effects. With sublingual nutritional sprays, people will not associate them with drugs at all. The fear of medicine and pharma solutions are then lessened.

Nutritional sublingual sprays look very promising. It will be interesting to see how they are applied in medicines and nutrition in the future.

Source: www.nutraingredients.com

Imposing Soda Tax: A Solution for The Ballooning Diabetes and Heart Disease Problems

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Global diabetes and heart disease rates have ballooned over the last 25 years. Among the countries that have the highest rate of diabetes and heart diseases, Mexico tops the list according to Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo. She is a UCSF professor medicine and director of UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations. Another problem in the country is obesity. With the global obesity rate growing at 11% and 15%, respectively, for both men and women, Mexico harbors a lot of obese individuals in the world. It is strikingly alarming to take note that around 75% of adults in Mexico are obese.

To solve the problem, the Mexican government proposed a solution to address this chronic health issue by imposing a 10% excise tax on sugary drinks in 2014. This tax rate is designed to curb the consumption of sugary beverages. Thus, decreasing the number of people who have diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, this strategy allows the government to save about $1 billion in direct health care cost due to these conditions.

Is the Sugary Drink Tax Effective?

In a study published in PLOS Medicine, simulation models of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in Mexico was done. The simulation model was developed on the well-established model used in the United States in 1980.

Researchers from the Instituto Nacional Salud de Publica (INSP) in Cuernavaca in Mexico and from the UC San Francisco estimated that the sugary drink tax in the country will likely prevent 20,000 cases of heart attack, 190,000 cases of diabetes, and 19,000 deaths among adults from the age of 35 to 90 within the next ten years.

The sugary drink tax is not the only tool to turn around this health epidemic in Mexico, but it will also mean a lot of savings for the people and the government according to senior researcher, Simon Barquera. For instance, it will reduce healthcare spending such as clinic visits and hospitalization by as much as $983 billion. The health benefits will strongly be felt among young adults who are avid consumers of sugary drinks.

Backed by The World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report that indicated that imposing sugary drinks could decrease Type 2 diabetes, tooth decay, and obesity. Increasing the retail price to 20% can trigger a reduction in consumption because people will have second thoughts about buying expensive drinks.

Obesity is a rising problem in many rich and developing countries. The problem started more than a decade ago, and it has affected mostly people from the middle-income and lower-income bracket.

The sugary drink tax imposed in Mexico in 2014, according to WHO spokesman Paul Garwood, was favorable wherein the agency observed a substantial drop in the consumption of not only sugar but also caffeine.

Inspired by www.ucsf.edu/

Infographic: Eating Fruits & Veggies Lowers Stroke Risk

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A study published in May of 2014 indicated that eating more fruits and vegetables could lower the world’s risk of a stroke. Below is an infographic produced by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to give awareness to why fruits and veggies are so important for our diets. The infographic details the recommended servings per day, the essential nutrients for heart health, and how fruits and vegetables lower blood pressure to improve small vessel function.

fruits and veggies strokes heart association

 

See infographic here: www.strokeassociation.org

Tyson Meat Company Invests in Plant Protein with Beyond Meat

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People are now shying away from eating so much meat. Some nutrition experts believe that eating too much meat can cause serious, long-term health problems. New companies developing plant-based meat alternatives are racing to create the next big product in “meat.”

As one of the largest meat processors in the country, Tyson Foods shocked consumers when they decided to embrace plant proteins. They invested in the vegan “meat” company, Beyond Meat.  Beyond Meat is the company that brought the market, the Beyond Burger, which is a plant-based burger that looks and tastes like the real thing. Senior vice president in charge of strategy and new ventures, Monica McGurk, noted that the quality of the plant-based burger is amazing and Tyson Foods wants to diversify their food business.

Why Plant-Based Proteins?

There is a growing movement of vegetarianism and veganism in the United States. As more American consumers are eating more plant-based foods, many traditional meat manufacturers are thinking of new ways to grow share of the new plant-based market.

According to the Plant Based Foods Association, businesses in the country such as Califia Farms, Heidi Ho, and Beyond Meat have grown to at least $4.9 billion in sales last June.  The investment that Tyson Foods poured into Beyond Meat came as a shock because a meat company suddenly decided to invest in a plant-based business. Tyson must have seen the lucrative business of plant-based proteins.

Why did Tyson Diversify its Portfolio?

In 2014, Pinnacle Foods which produces canned meat products bought Gardein which creates a line of plant-based products. This creates a positive view that the meat industry is recognizing the movement of veganism. Although it may not cause the complete shift in meat to plant-based proteins, it is still a good sign for vegans and vegetarians all over the world.

However, this particular type of investment will also raise eyebrows, particularly among ardent vegetarians and vegans. Ethan Brown, founder, and CEO of Beyond Meat, said that many vegans see the ethical problem of a meat company investing in a plant-based business. But he is hopeful that this action can make plant-based meats become part of the mainstream decision of many consumers. Such investment is a great way for customers to enjoy plant-based protein in their daily diet.

Do Consumers Want More Plant-Based Meat Alternatives?

So, will such kind of investment be welcomed by many users? In a research conducted by Midan Marketing and Meatingplace, 70% of meat-eating respondents said that they could use meat substitutes in place for real meats at least once a week. The remaining number of correspondents are already using meat substitutes frequently.

The reasons why there are a huge following and acceptance of plant-based proteins in the United States is mainly for health. However, other people do it for the ethical reasons. Whatever the reasons may be, Tyson Foods investment in Beyond Meat proved that there is an emerging market for this particular niche.

Inspired by: www.nytimes.com