Wellness Ingredient Trends 2008

Blueberries, including wild blueberries, have become core players in the antioxidant and berry categories. They saw continued growth in consumer awareness and demand last year, according to the Wild Blueberry Assn. of North America (www.wildblueberries.com), Old Town, Maine. “From consumer research, we know today’s health and wellness-oriented public wants more information about antioxidants than ever before,” notes Ruth Lowenberg, of the Folsom, Calif.-based U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (www.blueberry.org). “They want to know which antioxidants are in their foods and how they work, and want to take their knowledge to another level   to go deeper into understanding antioxidant research.”

Currants, once held back by legal issues, were set free in the United States at just the right time. The little berries, as with the other fruits in this category, turned out to be concentrated with antioxidant compounds. Moreover, the popularity of currant juice in Europe made it easier to introduce a growingly worldly American palate to the tart and tiny fruit. As crops in North America expand, so too will currants’ popularity.

IV. Bounty of Botanicals

Meanwhile, the Europeans have taken notice of the burgeoning American interest in botanicals and are bringing over old favorites that are new to these shores. Companies such as Naturex (www.naturex.com), Avignon, France, are promoting both the flavor and health aspects of extracts of elderflower, bergamot, rose hips, fig, juniper, gentian, muscat grape and blood orange.

Those and other combinations of “old” and “new” were profiled by Mark Blumenthal, director of the Austin, Texas-based American Botanical Council (www.herbalgram.org) in a presentation at the Supply Side West International Trade Show and Conference in Las Vegas in November. Blumenthal specifically targeted the emerging trend of “older herbs with new uses” and the ongoing science supporting same.

Other botanicals showing new promise include hibiscus as an antihypertensive, rhubarb – common as a laxative in Germany – as an anti-anxietal, vitamin C-rich rose hips and hops as anti-inflammatories, chokeberries for diabetes management and blood orange for its hesperidin flavonoids and anthocyanins.

Processors continue to recognize the increasing impact health and wellness has on consumers. When Datamonitor surveyed nearly 1,000 global industry executives from the consumer packaged goods industry, health was identified as “the most important of the 10 Datamonitor mega-trends shaping new product development and marketing.” The independent marketing group found nearly two-thirds of consumers take more steps to eat more healthily and “more than half of European and U.S. shoppers use nutritional information on packaging with greater regularity to make food and drink choices.”

Research clearly shows Americans are seeking foods and beverages that fill dual needs for both greater health and more convenience. The good news for processors is modern consumers are more open-minded than ever to having those needs met via unusual and innovative ingredient sources.