Sandy Almendarez, VP of Content

September 3, 2013

2 Min Read
A Drinking Solution

Fortified beverages are becoming more ubiquitous in consumers daily eating habits offering ample opportunities to get added nutrients into the diet. The beverage sector is drinking up the spotlight with products beyond the meal replacement offering of times past. Cathy Arnold, supervisor, senior formulation scientist, Fortitech Inc., noted, in the past, the majority of functional beverages served as a meal replacements, or fit within the sports nutrition category. "In recent years, we have seen many new condition-specific products targeting everything from heart health to cognition to immunity, just to name a few."

Energy drinks have recently gained a lot of attention from regulators who have questioned their safety, but natural energy drinks with nutrients such as B vitamins are still popular, perhaps because they are seen as a safer alternative to caffeine-laden conventional choices.

"Certainly one of the leading categories today for functional beverages is the energy drink market," said Richard Mueller, chief executive officer, Biothera. "This category has experienced huge growth in the recent past via drinks that are formulated with caffeine or B vitamins to provide energy. Beverages for energy make sense because of the traditional use of coffee drinks for many generations."

Besides for energy, protein and sport nutrition and digestive health are big categories for beverages and functional foods. Digestive health may be of particular interest for manufacturers as Packaged Facts projected the market for functional foods and beverages marketed for digestive health to exceed $22 billion in 2013, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12 percent between 2004 and 2013.

Food technology mixed with research-backed ingredients and innovation mean foods and beverages that target digestive health are not the hard-to-swallow, unappetizing muffins of yesteryear. Now, fiber, enzymes, probiotics and more are in a variety of products that can be heated, frozen or stored for long periods.

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

About the Author

Sandy Almendarez

VP of Content, Informa

Summary

• Well-known subject matter expert within the health & nutrition industry with more than 15 years’ experience reporting on natural products.

• She cares a lot about how healthy products are made, where their ingredients are sourced and how they affect human health.

• She knows that it’s the people behind the businesses — their motivations, feelings and emotions — drive industry growth, so that’s where she looks for content opportunities.

Sandy Almendarez is VP of Content for SupplySide and an award-winning journalist. She oversees the editorial and content marketing teams for the B2B media brands SupplySide Supplement Journal and SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal, the education programming for the health and nutrition trade shows SupplySide Connect New Jersey and SupplySide West, the education program SupplySide Fresh for industry newcomers and community engagement across the SupplySide portfolio. She is a seasoned content strategist with a passion for health, good nutrition, sustainability and inclusion. With over 15 years of experience in the health and nutrition industry, Sandy brings a wealth of knowledge to her role as a content-focused business leader. With specialization in topics ranging from product development to content engagement, creative marketing and c-suite decision making, her work is known for its engaging style and its relevance for business leaders in the health and nutrition industry.

In her free time, Sandy loves running, drinking hot tea and watching her two kids grow up. She brews her own “Sandbucha” homemade kombucha; she’s happy to share if you’re ever in Phoenix!

Awards:

Speaker credentials

Resides in

  • Phoenix, AZ

Education

  • Arizona State University

Contact:

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