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Functional foods will be the most successful healthy foods in the coming decade, according to a new report from Reuters Business Insight. RBI’s poll of UK food industry executives revealed functional drinks along with low-calorie and low-fat foods, and those foods aimed at seniors and children, as categories with the most potential.
The report predicted low-carb foods will drop from No. 1 to No. 6 in profit potential by 2009. By then cholesterol-lowering foods will be the No. 1 food category, followed by ‘diabetes-friendly’ foods. Low-glycaemic foods, probiotics, energy-boosting foods and vitamin and mineral supplements will also perform well, the report predicted.
Asia, particularly Japan, was highlighted as a centre of innovation with highly advanced consumer markets where many lessons could be learned by product developers in the rest of the world.
Anti-ageing foods and supplements will grow in prominence as the population ages, with over-60s increasing from one in 10 people now to one out of five by 2050 and one in three by 2150.
Children will remain a strong area of focus for the food industry. “The ultimate new product for kids would be healthy, loved by both parents and children, and eaten as much as a chocolate bar or packet of crisps,” the report stated.
It noted: “Fortified bottled water is the category with the most ‘not successful’ votes; however, this is still low and a significant 64 per cent of executives polled regard it as having a ‘very successful’ or ‘successful’ future.”
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