The Taste of Success

Capsules and tablets are a great way to get quick nutrition, but they certainly aren't the only option. And they aren't the most fun way. Fortified yogurt drinks, cereals and popcorn are making their way into consumer's daily habits. Rather than taking over the traditional meal, consumers prefer to use functional foods as snacks and beverages. But any functional food or beverage that doesnt taste good is

In the consumer's mind, taste is number one. Consumers won't eat or drink something that tastes bad in the name of health, and texture and mouthfeel need to be right at the foundation of a product. "I cant emphasize enough that taste will always dictate consumer preference, and formulators need to keep this front of mind as they develop their products," said Cathy Arnold, supervisor, senior formulation scientist, Fortitech Inc.

Dave Pfefer, fortification category manager, Caravan Ingredients Inc., recommended controlling taste by using microencapsulated ingredients, which have the added benefit of increasing shelf life. When that functional food or beverage passes the taste test, manufacturers can start thinking of how they will market them. A good bet is to leverage their products as snacks that address certain health conditions.

When consumers look to foods and beverages to boost their nutrition needs, snacks are top of mind. The snack market is expected to be USD $77 billion in the United States by 2015, according to Packaged Facts.  And the Hartman Group noted snacking accounted for nearly half (49 percent) of all eating occasions in the United States in 2010, and in 2012, snacking grew to 53 percent of all eating occasions.

Read the full article, Functionally Feasting" by Sandy Almendarez in INSIDERs Functional Foods Content Library.