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Top 5 Trends in Pre- and Postnatal Nutrition

Pre- and postnatal products are growing globally as more women look to foods, beverages, and supplements that can support healthy child development, as well as maternal health and wellbeing. Check out the top five trends in this exciting category.

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Pre- and Postnatal Product Launches Increasing Globally

Across the globe, the number and variety of nutrition products geared toward mothers have been expanding. Innova reports that the number of new food, beverage, and supplement launches featuring a pregnancy or breastfeeding claim grew by 18.2% from 2015 to 2019.  

Asia led with 47.3% of these new product launches in 2019, followed by Europe at 24.7% and North America at 15.8%. The companies leading in pre- and postnatal food and beverage product launches are Pt Kalbe Farma (Indonesia) and Fonterra (New Zealand), followed by Mead Johnson Nutrition (U.S.) and Sarihusada (Indonesia).

Top 10 Companies in Pre- and Postnatal New Product Launches

Company Share of Global F&B Launches with Pregnancy of Breastfeeding Positioning (2015-2020 Q1)
Pt Kalbe Farma 3.7%
Fonterra 3.6%
Mead Johnson Nutrition 1.8%
Sarihusada 1.7%
Nutricia 1.7%
Wyeth 1.4%
Bayer 1.4%
Abbott 1.3%
Biovea 1.2%
Blackmores 1.2%
Source: Innova, Pregnancy/Breastfeeding – F&B and Supplements, August 2020

Types of Pre- and Postnatal Products

While pre- and postnatal nutrition products are available in a wide variety of formats, formula and milk products made up 63.7% of new food and beverage launches with pregnancy/breastfeeding positioning in the 2015 to 2020 Q1 period. Drinks followed at 21.6%, cereals and biscuits at 6.0%, and snacks at 5.1%. Beyond food and beverage, supplement formats such as capsules, sprays, and gummies provide additional options.

If you’re looking for inspiration in this category, check out our Concept Lookbook ideas in prenatal and postnatal products. 

Key Ingredients and Health Benefits

Maternal supplements include nutritional and functional ingredients that can support baby, mother, or both. These include:

  • Vitamins and minerals
  • Essential fatty acids
  • Protein
  • Botanicals
  • Probiotics

Though pre- and postnatal products typically contain the full range of vitamins and minerals, those of particular importance to mothers include folate, choline, calcium, and iron. Lactoferrin is an iron source that’s becoming more popular in pre- and postnatal products due to its better bioavailability, easier digestion, and immunity benefits. 

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The essential fatty acid DHA is another spotlight ingredient, particularly for its role in brain development. To reach protein targets in these products, dairy proteins are the most commonly used. Bioactive ingredients derived from dairy—such as lactoferrin and MFGM—as well as functional botanicals and probiotics, may also be featured.

Health benefits offered by pre- and postnatal nutrition products can include:

  • Bone health
  • Immune health
  • Brain health
  • Eye health
  • Heart health
  • Digestive health
  • Oral health
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Pre- and Postnatal Nutrition Trends

For manufacturers tracking the pre- and postnatal nutrition market, five key trends to know are:

1. Bone health is the #1 claim in pre-/postnatal foods and beverages globally.

In 2019, more than one in three global new food and beverage products with pregnancy or breastfeeding positioning made a bone health claim, making it the top health claim.

2. DHA is growing fast in pre-/postnatal foods and beverages.

The use of DHA in global new food and beverage products for pregnancy/breastfeeding rose 26.0% between 2015 and 2019. By 2019, DHA was in nearly one in every three new product launches.

3. Brain/mood health is the top health claim globally in pre-/postnatal supplements.

Among global supplement launches with pregnancy/breastfeeding positioning in 2019, 36.3% made a brain or mood health claim, just ahead of immune health at 25.1%.

mom and child

4. Energy/stamina is the fastest-growing pre-/postnatal supplement claim globally.

Claims around energy or stamina grew 37.6% between 2015 and 2019—even more than brain/mood and immune health claims (at 23.6% and 24.8%, respectively).

5. Clean label ingredients are going strong in pre-/postnatal nutrition products.

Clean label claims seen in pre- and post-natal nutrition products include grass-fed dairy protein, organic, gluten-free, no artificial sweeteners, and no artificial preservatives. 

Healthy Ingredients for Mother and Baby

Succeeding with pre-and postnatal nutrition products is all about providing mother and baby with the health benefits they need. And this comes down to choosing the right ingredients. Here at Glanbia Nutritionals, we offer dairy and plant-based proteins, micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals, and cutting-edge bioactive ingredients like iron-rich Bioferrin® lactoferrin for immune support and NeoShieldTM, rich in MFGM and other bioactive components, which supports both cognitive and immune health.

Our custom premix solutions can help differentiate your product in the market and give your target consumers exactly what they’re looking for through the creation of your own custom product formulation. Contact us to discuss your next project and to learn more ingredient and consumer insights.

Frequently Asked Questions

Healthy snacking for pregnancy encompasses the right nutrients to support mother and baby, along with convenient formats and enjoyable flavors. The key nutrients at this life stage are folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamin D, DHA, protein, choline, and iodine. Fortified prenatal shakes and bars are a convenient way to make sure of getting enough of these specific nutrients.

Some fortified snacks formulated for pregnant women also contain bioactives that have special roles in immunity, growth, and development. Since pregnancy can be a stressful time, it’s important that prenatal snacks come in delicious and satisfying flavors. However, due to the effects of morning sickness, mild flavors may be appreciated, including flavors associated with calming the stomach like ginger, peppermint, and lemon.

Important nutrients for pregnant women include folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamin D, DHA, protein, choline, and iodine to support the health of the mother and the developing baby. Prenatal nutrition can be delivered through a diverse diet rich in vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and protein foods and supplemented with fortified foods or beverages and dietary supplements. 

There are also bioactives for pregnant women that provide additional benefits beyond the basic nutrients. An important category here is bioactive dairy ingredients that contain concentrated lactoferrins, immunoglobulins, and milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) phospholipids.

The most important nutrients for babies are iron and zinc for brain development and immunity (to name just a few key roles), calcium and vitamin D for strong bones and teeth, and protein to support growth. While babies’ first foods are often fruit and vegetable purees and cereals, graduating to solid foods expands the options considerably.

References

Innova, Pregnancy/Breastfeeding – F&B and Supplements, August 2020.

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