Health drives industry innovation

Health is fast becoming a major selling point in the food and drinks industry, with new products being launched every month targeting specific ailments or simply promoting a general sense of wellbeing. Last month was no different, according to the latest review from the Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD).

An increasing number of fortified beverages (juices in particular) have appeared over the last few years. Many such launches are made first in North America, but the latest has appeared in Ireland.

New there under the aptly named Vitz Liquid Health label is a range of low sugar, no fat, low calorie 'daily vitamin boost' juice drinks available in two varieties. The Tropical Tease Multi Vitamin Defence variety is fortified with vitamins A, C, E, B6, B12, H and B5, and is designed to replace lost nutrients and "defend against the hazards of modern living". The Bursting Berry Boost Vitamin & Ginseng Energy variety is enriched with vitamins C, B6, B3 and B5 as well as folic acid and ginseng, and is said to add zing to consumer's day.

Drinks are not the only product getting the health spin at the moment. US-based confectionery group Mars is promoting the antioxidant and heart-health benefits of cocoa beans through a new company division, The Positive Food Company, which is set to introduce a number of healthy cocoa snack products, the first of which is Positively Healthy Cocoa Drink. The single dose (85ml) chilled milk drink is said to be high in natural cocoa antioxidants and is marketed with the strapline 'top up your body's defences'.

Sticking with healthy drinks, new in the US are Steap Green Tea Sodas, all-natural sodas that claim to be the first marked with the new USDA certified organic seal. They combine Ceylon healthy green tea with popular sodas and come in Cola, Lemon Dew, Raspberry, Orange, Key Lime and Root Beer flavours. Green tea is also an ingredient in Cricket Green Tea Cola from Cricket Cola, available in regular and diet versions.

Water is increasingly being perceived as a functional drink, containing as much of it does, a number of essential minerals. The latest product marketed as a 'health water' is Tir na nog from Shannon Minerals of Ireland, which has been launched in the Canadian market. The lineup includes Boost (to fight colds), Osteo (to promote breast and bone health), Slim (to help curb appetites), Mineral Max (to restore antioxidants), Cardio (to reduce critical blood fats), Effervescent Get Up & Go (cryptically described simply as 'for men') and Detox (a peach-flavoured beverage for women to aid recovery from hangovers).

Another staple, bread, has also been given the healthy makeover treatment, mainly as a result of the growing awareness of the Atkins diet (which promotes carbohydrate reduction). Low-carbohydrate bread has been around for some time, but has traditionally been an expensive speciality product. Now it has become almost as common - and as cheap - as regular bread.

The newest offering in the US, Nature's Own Premium Wheat, promises half the carbohydrates of regular bread. The Nature's Own reduced-carbohydrate bread has 60 calories a slice, the same as traditional varieties, but replaces wheat flour with soy protein to cut the carb count.

And what better to spread on your low-carb bread than healthy jam. Menz & Gasser's line of strawberry & rhubarb jam in Italy has been extended with the addition of the Frutta & Fibra line, which contains added fibre from wheatgerm and, more unusually, from bamboo.

Consumers in the UK are increasingly being encouraged towards eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, as recommended by nutritionists. While the most recent government report shows that consumers are still falling short when it comes to meeting this target, awareness of the benefits of eating five portions of fruit and veg a day is growing, helped in part by products such as the Way to Five range from retail group Sainsbury. These are processed foods which Sainsbury claims contain one or two of the daily recommended portions.

Branded products including soups and canned vegetables also now carry an indication of their fruit/vegetable content in easy to follow portions, Mintel​ said, adding that even the Unilever ice cream brand Solero had got in on the act, with its Solero Getfruit! brand. It is available in varieties including strawberry & raspberry, apple & blackcurrant and tropical, and the back of the pack lists '5 good things'about the ice cream, including that it is made with 45 per cent real fruit, has no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, and is a good source of vitamin C. An additional panel describes how the product can help reach the 5 a day target, as each 125ml serving of ice cream contains half a portion of fruit.