Highlights from FIC 2024

Highlights

• Asian consumers’ Interest in health and fitness is growing strong.
• Brands can use nutritional and functional ingredients to appeal to consumers.
• Glanbia Nutritionals’ product concepts at FIC can offer inspiration.

Glanbia Nutritionals’ Themes and Product Concepts at FIC 2024

Glanbia Nutritionals was excited to present a number of highly relevant product concepts and healthy ingredients at FIC 2024.

These new product concepts focused on the themes of sport and active nutrition, healthy indulgence, women's health, and food for special medical purposes and were featured in a variety of formats, including bars, snacks, and functional beverages.

1. Sport and Active Nutrition

Health and fitness have become increasingly important to Asian consumers, with health awareness significantly higher in the post-COVID era. In addition, large-scale events like the Beijing Winter Olympics and major marathons, plus the introduction of China’s National Fitness Plan, have generated substantial enthusiasm around fitness.

The popularity of fitness videos from "Pamela" to "Liu Genghong Girl"—and even the success of the crowd-pleasing movie "YOLO," which follows a woman’s training journey as she becomes a boxer —reflect this phenomenon.

The recent fitness boom has made the sports nutrition market worth watching closely. One of the main driving forces for the development of the sports nutrition market is now the active lifestyle (or urban sports) population.

The demand for sport and active nutrition today is focused on four main areas: 1) strength and muscle, 2) energy and endurance, 3) rest and recovery, and 4) concentration. Ingredients such as whey protein, branched chain amino acids, electrolytes, and leucine can achieve relevant functional benefits for these types of products.

At the FIC exhibition, Glanbia Nutritionals showcased a variety of sport and active nutrition beverages. These beverages offer consumers solutions based on a convenient, portable format that provide timely supplemental nutrition to support sports performance.

These included High Protein Acidified Milk, featuring 12 grams of whey protein and a fresh fruit flavor, and High Protein Electrolyte Water, with protein and a custom electrolyte premix. Both are refreshing and healthy choices for post-workout recovery and replenishment.

2. Healthy Indulgence

Another trending area to watch is snacks that provide healthy indulgence. Snacks are an indispensable part of consumers' lives. But for health reasons, many consumers today want more than just something to satisfy their appetites—they’re interested in better-for-you snacks, with extra health and nutrition benefits.

Healthy indulgence, a demand for both pleasure and health, tests how food and beverage brands can balance the taste and functional benefits of a snack. Whether sweet or savory, adding protein is an easy way to create a better-for-you snack that consumers will enjoy.

Product concepts at FIC ranged from sweet indulgent snacks such as High Protein Shortbread Cookie, with a soft, buttery texture plus 13 grams of protein, to healthy savory snacks like High Protein Wasabi Seaweed Crisp Bar and High Protein Sour Cream Chips. Glanbia Nutritionals has protein solutions available for both soft and crunchy applications.

High Protein Breakfast Granola Mix is an exciting healthy indulgence breakfast option that gives kids a morning protein boost with 0 grams of added sugar plus calcium. Crunchie^TM Whey Protein Crisps provide protein and texture to this naturally sweet cocoa and black currant cereal.

3. Women’s Health

Women today are defining their own values and way of life, no longer limited by traditional societal roles. The awakening of self-awareness combined with women’s increased income has built a strong foundation for the “she”-conomy—including a market for women-focused products.

According to data from Accenture, China has nearly 400 million female consumers between ages 20 and 60, who together control up to 10 trillion yuan of consumer spending annually. This suggests the enormous potential of the female consumer market. What opportunities will the “she”-conomy present for food and beverage brands?

One prospect is addressing women’s health. Females have specific nutritional requirements at different ages and life stages to help them maintain their physical and mental health. The right nutrition supports bone development and growth in adolescents, emotional wellness and sleep during menstruation for young women, immunity and fetal development for expectant mothers, and menopausal care for middle-aged and senior women.

Glanbia Nutritionals’ concepts for women’s health, based on unique bioactive ingredients, received widespread attention at FIC. Menstrual support concepts included Sleepshot Ready-to-Mix (RTM) Beverage with PepForm® Tryptophan Peptides for healthy sleep and mood and Super Restoration RTM Drink with FerriUp®, rich in lactoferrin and vitamin B12, to improve iron balance.

For immune support, there were snack and beverage options: Pro-Immune Protein + Colostrum Bar and High Protein Immunity Melon Drink, featuring an immunity vitamin premix and OptiSol® 1007, a whey protein optimized for beverage processing.

4. Food for Special Medical Purpose

Population aging has become a global trend, garnering attention and raising numerous concerns. One solution that will be key to effectively managing the health of aging consumers is food for special medical purpose (FSMP).

Although the FSMP market in China started relatively late compared to those in Europe and the US, it is currently in a rapid development stage. According to data from iiMedia Research, the market size of China’s FSMP industry has tripled from 2016 to 2020, increasing from 2.59 billion to 7.723 billion yuan.

FSMP is an important part of China’s national nutrition plan, and its regulations and standards are becoming increasingly complete. In addition, industry opportunities are constantly emerging. Current product attribute and quantity deficiencies combined with the high need and low treatment rates will soon lead to a huge market demand to develop the FSMP industry.

With the future of FSMP a commercial blue ocean, product concepts to consider include Whey Protein FSMP Complete Nutrition, a low viscosity beverage mix with high quality whey protein Provon® CFM and a FSMP custom premix, and High Whey Protein Puree Jelly, an easy-to-consume strawberry jelly featuring lactobacillus and essential vitamins and minerals.

Your Partner in Health and Nutrition Products

These product concepts offer a glimpse of what is possible in the growing areas of sports nutrition, healthy indulgent snacks, women’s health, and FSMP, particularly when food and beverage brands have the right ingredients.

Glanbia Nutritionals’ proteins, micronutrients, bioactives, and custom premix solutions can help brands make innovative, high-quality, healthy products that appeal to today’s consumers.

 Contact us to learn how we can support the success of your next nutritional or functional product.