The Health Trend is here to stay

Health and wellness is everywhere in the food industry today. The health trend is the talk of the town, but is it here to stay, or gone tomorrow?

Chr. Hansen has asked selected customers and experts from all over the world to share their opinion in a web poll. 108 Research Scientists, Sales Managers, Food Technologists, Plant Managers, Purchasers, and other industry professionals responded.

Food industry embraces health and wellness

Health is the future of food. Of this, food industry professionals participating in the survey have no doubt. An overwhelming 96% consider health and wellness very important (76%) or above average importance (20%).

The clear majority of the respondents have already acted on their conviction and launched products, but a sizeable minority – nearly one in four – are uncertain about how to approach this quickly evolving food category. For now, this minority remains sidelined without concrete plans for market-entry.

"There appears to be some confusion and uncertainty about how to approach the market and which strategy to follow. When asked ‘What is the most important factor for a successful health and wellness product?,' respondents were fairly equally split between authorized health claims, marketing, taste, or scientific documentation. Not surprising, because in reality the right strategy is likely to be a mix," says Ken Gawley, Chr. Hansen?s Industry Manager for Food and Beverage.

Push and pull

Nearly half the respondents (47%) identify consumers as the most important driver behind the health and wellness market, but almost as many (44%) acknowledge the substantial effort from the food industry ingredient suppliers (16%) plus food producers (28%) in developing this high value category.

"It is definitely a combination of push and pull factors," says Hans Chr. Bejder, Global Marketing Manager for Probiotics at Chr. Hansen. "There is no doubt that large groups of consumers are actively looking for healthy foods, but new concepts like 'gut health,' 'friendly bacteria,' or the 'daily dose' did not become widely established without a significant effort in information and education from the industry."

The place to be, for sure. But how to get there?
When asked "Which do you consider the most important health and wellness food trend in 2006,? there was no clear answer. Probiotics (20%), Low fat (19%), heart health (19%), and organic foods (18%) were tied for first place, and all categories got at least a few responses.

The global survey confirms the single most important challenge faced by food producers today: developing new and healthy food products. "This is exactly where a working partnership with a major ingredient supplier like Chr. Hansen can make the difference. Our application and industry specialists can provide the knowledge, inspiration, and support to make our customers successful," says Mr. Gawley.