Making Milk Better

Dairy Foods, Oct, 2001 by Donna Berry

Research shows that consumers want functional nutrition; Milk is an ideal carrier for value-added nutrients

The quest for health is evolving into a quest for wellness and well-being, according to the 2001 HealthFocus Trend Report, which is based on data gathered from the 2000 HealthFocus Survey of 2,137 consumers. Shoppers see wellness as an essential component of achieving happiness and enjoying life.

"Wellness is related to but distinct from health, as it reaches beyond physical condition to include emotional, mental and spiritual well-being," says Linda Gilbert, president of HealthFocus Inc., Atlanta. The good news for food manufacturers is "shoppers see a connection between nutrition and health."

What does this mean for the food industry?

"There are clearly opportunities to offer consumers dietary alternatives to medical solutions," says Gilbert. "Opportunities will be highly consumer driven and success will ultimately be dependent upon defining your segment and knowing your target."

According to the survey (see graph on p. 82), more than 75% of consumers are interested in information about foods that boost the immune system, reduce the risk of disease and enhance health.

"Shoppers clearly believe in the concept of functional nutrition, or specific associations between foods/nutrients and health functions," adds Gilbert. "Successful products help consumers to self-prescribe for themselves and their families."

Gilbert encourages food manufacturers to speak to the positives. In other words, when communicating to consumers about a food's calcium content, discuss building strong bones, flexibility and agility, rather than preventing osteoporosis.

She does caution that one important success criteria that has not changed is taste. "Taste is the primary obstacle to healthy choices," Gilberts says. "At the same time, shoppers don't understand why healthy costs more."

Milk's position as a wellness food

Using fortified foods is an easy way for consumers to make strides towards optimal health, particularly when the fortified foods are ones that consumers know and use every day and already recognize as good-for-you-products. This reinforces positive eating habits and acknowledges consumers for making wise food choices.

According to HealthFocus, 91% of shoppers use fortified foods and 27% always or usually choose foods or beverages because they are fortified with extra vitamins and minerals. In addition, 59% of shoppers strongly agree or agree it is important to eat foods fortified with added vitamins or minerals, and 39% strongly agree or agree that foods and beverages fortified with extra nutrition are worth paying a slight premium.

It's important to keep fortification in perspective, choosing value-added ingredients that are recognized by authorities in the scientific community. This is insurance against potential activist group and regulatory scrutiny, which could lead to consumer backlash.

In fact, FDA recently stepped up its monitor of ingredients that food manufacturers add to foods and claims being made. Earlier this year FDA cited some manufacturers for using unauthorized content claims and false labeling. FDA also found certain structure/function product statements to be approaching health claim status.

It seems that some companies are blurring the distinction between food and drug a bit too much for FDA. The agency is particularly concerned with herbal additives associated with the supplement industry. This includes echinacea, ginseng and gingko biloba. Keeping in mind that there is little evidence to show that such herbs are dangerous in foods, there is also no proof that they are safe. If FDA expands its scrutiny and begins to take action against companies using such herbal ingredients, many in the food industry will feel an economic blow. The good news is that nutritional milk beverages, if carefully formulated and properly marketed, can become a highly sought functional food for wellness-seeking consumers.

After all, milk is inherently one of the best good-for-you foods in today's marketplace. This is not only because of the obvious nutrients milk contains, i.e., calcium, high-quality protein and vitamin A, but also because of components being researched for their positive effects on health, such as conjugated linoleic acid, lactoferrin and sphingolipids.

The opportunity for marketing milk to wellness-seeking consumers goes beyond its indigenous beneficial components. Milk just happens to be the ideal carrier for value-added ingredients and essential nutrients that many consumers lack in their diet. In fact, the concept of food fortification originated in the early 1900s when vitamin D was added to fluid milk to prevent rickets.

Milk is also flexible. It can easily be custom-formulated to appeal to specific consumer segments.

"Nutrition individualization is becoming more important," says Gilbert. Baby boomers, especially, are looking for products that fit their personal needs and situations as they grow older. Energy, extra nutrition insurance, disease prevention, fitness and other benefits will be sought."