While many businesses in the food and beverage industry have suffered losses of revenue during the Covid-19 pandemic, there is one segment enjoying a surge in popularity: manufacturers of immunity-boosting food and drinks.
There is no doubt 2020 has highlighted the general public’s susceptibility to worldwide viruses, and for consumers it has brought immunity to top of mind.
The latest research and insights from marketing research firm Mintel found consumers are actively looking for food and drinks that naturally improve immune function. In the US, 35 per cent of consumers were motivated to purchase a nutrition or meal replacement drink that supported immune health.
Michelle Teodoro, associate director of food Science at Mintel APAC, said this has created new opportunities for manufacturers to develop innovative products.
Table of Plenty founder Kate Weiss said they had seen a definite boost in sales in recent months. “We are now entering a new era of consumers wanting more from their food.
“Functional foods are definitely becoming part of the mainstream. We saw potential in food being a medicine and this was the crux of our functional breakfasts range, which provides boosts of immunity, protein, balance or probiotics.”
The Australian company recently added a functional breakfast range and probiotic kefirs to its product line-up.
One of the areas of most consumer concern is that of digestive health, which is increasingly linked to other areas of well-being, including the immune system.
“Consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of gut health,” said Weiss. “But rather than just consuming a tablet, they are looking to foods with health benefits that will aid immunity and gut health.”
Teodoro said that in the 12 months from April 2019 to March 2020, immunity-improving functional claims were most prominent in baby foods, dairy and juice drinks.
“There has also been a growth in patent filing for food and drink products that support immune health among the elderly,” she said.
The research found botanicals (40 per cent) were the most frequent ingredients cited in food and drink patents to support immune health, followed by probiotics (35 per cent), fermented extracts (eight per cent), prebiotics and algae/fungi (six per cent) and vitamins/minerals (two per cent).
The association between the immune system and gut health is another growth area, with new products, from probiotic immunity shots to yoghurt drinks that blend probiotics, vitamins and minerals.
Natural ingredients to improve immunity are also on the rise, with 21 per cent of US consumers seeking out dietary fibre content on nutrition labels of products.
“There is a return to the basics – of relying on botanicals and grains to bolster immune function,” said Teodoro.
“From ginger and cinnamon extract to help improve intestinal health and enhance immunity to the use of black rice bran extract powder in the manufacture of health functional food for immunity, a growing number of brands are seeking out natural enhancement.”
When it comes to the next big thing in the field of immunity, watch out for fermented herbal extracts, such as fermented leek plant extract and bacillus-fermented ginger extract, and even products containing algae.
