To that end, food and beverage producers are quickly working to capitalize on the trend. A recent Time magazine article talks about how the skin-care industry is finding a new way into aging baby boomer wallets via taste buds. The article cites products including skincare-infused gummy bears, collagen-fortified Takanashi yogurt and Neuzeller Kloster’s anti-aging beer.
Consumers are quick to latch on to the buzz of promises. Here, some of the newest “potions” rising on the horizon.
what's hot
Natural nutrient-rich ingredients, low carbs, low sugar
what's not
Brown-wrapper packaging, high prices, inaccessibility
what to watch for
Consumers seek healthy foods and beverages that give them a fun taste sensation. They don’t want to taste the health benefits. They just want the beneficial aftermath.
many forces at work
• Pop culture attitude
• Healthy leanings
• Medicinal standards
• Desire for quick fixes
Junki Juice
Krump Juice
Honey Juice
redbull+bordom=funnight
Vintage Perrier
Wheatgrass Shots
Coffee Hype
ENRICHED APPLE J, NOT FOR KIDS
Two new Mott's Plus Light juices -- Apple Cranberry and Apple Blueberry -- as well as Healthy Harvest Blueberry Delight apple sauce -- combine the goodness of apples with healthy berries for an everyday solution to get more fruit into the diet. Mott's Plus Light has half the calories and sugar of regular 100% apple juice and is fortified with a full day's supply of Vitamin C to support a healthy immune system. It also has 20% Vitamin D and 10% calcium to help maintain strong bones.
NONI AND POM HEIGHTEN ACCESSIBILITY
AgroLabs introduced its Naturally Noni and Naturally Pomegranate products at more than 250 Duane Reade drugstores throughout New York. Integrated BioPharma, the parent company's biotechnology business, uses its patented plant-based technology to produce vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.
SONIC’S GOT C AND A
Among Sonic's newest signature Fountain Favorites drinks are Minute Maid apple juice and cranberry juice cocktail, Hi-C Fruit Punch and PowerAde Blue Mountain Blast, all of which can be ordered as a drink or a slush or added as a flavor shot to any drink. Other Ultimate Drink Stop offerings are Red Raspberry and Peach Teas for non-carbonated drink options, one percent low fat chocolate and white milk in re-sealable plastic jugs, and yogurt-based Fruit Smoothies, made with real fruit and enriched with calcium and vitamins A and C.
SPECIAL K20 PROTEIN WATER
Kellogg Company is extending its popular Special K product line into the diet and nutrition sections of grocery and drug stores with the launch of Special K20 Protein Waters. Special K20 Protein Waters deliver five grams of protein per 16 oz. bottle with 50 calories. They will be available in November and are among the first products to come from the company's new Health & Wellness Division.
4:1 CARB TO PROTEIN LEMONADE
In response to the demand of endurance athletes, Accelerade and AccelGel, the only sports drink and energy gel with the patented and proven-effective 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio, are introducing new flavors. Accelerade, which is available in fruit punch, lemon lime, blue raspberry and orange, will now be available to athletes in a refreshing lemonade flavor. Published studies have shown that compared to a carbohydrate-only sports drink, Accelerade has been proven to increase rehydration by 15 percent, improve exercise endurance by 29 percent, decrease muscle damage by 83 percent and improve performance in a subsequent workout 15 hours later by 40 percent. .
CAFFEINE: CHIC AND BUBBLY
Bawls Guaranexx has been named the official energy drink of the IMG Sunglass Hut Swim Shows Miami Presented by LYCRA and Olympus Fashion Week New York in Bryant Park. In 2005, the beverage was awarded Best Packaging Design by the Glass Packaging Institute. Inside is a refreshing, lightly carbonated, citrus flavored beverage derived from guarana, a highly caffeinated berry from the Amazonian rainforest. The zero-calorie, carb-free drink packs a powerful 72mg of caffeine. Bawls rolled out in Target Stores this June.
BLUE TEA GOES DOWN EASY
New Leaf will be releasing the one and only line of RTD Blue Teas. What is Blue Tea you ask? The Tea Masters of Ancient China recognized six tea families each classified by a different color. Oolong Tea is known as blue tea because in its dried leaf form it has a bluish reflection. Health benefits of Oolong tea include aid in digestion, acid neutralization, lowering cholesterol, burning calories and it contains antioxidants.
HIGH IMPACT HYDRATION
Saphia Lifestyle Beverages has as its mission to produce products that promote high-impact hydration coupled with nutrition for a target market of expectant, nursing and hopeful mothers. It recently debuted its low-calorie, naturally flavored, nutrient-enriched water beverages called Saphia Water. The line offers lightly flavored waters enriched with medically-approved mounts of folic acid, calcium, dietary fiber, zinc, niacin, magnesium, selenium, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin A, taurine and electrolytes potassium and sodium.
DOCTOR CRAFTED DRINKS
MD Drinks started by tackling a very common ailment: the hangover. They took their initial prototypes of the anti-hangover/ anti-air pollution formulation to a leading flavor house, collaboratively worked out the uniquely satisfying citrus/prickly pear flavor combination, and launched their first drink, “function urban detox,” in November of 2005. The team has just followed up with “function youth trip” and “function brainiac.”
LEMON, WITH A NIC TWIST
NIC Lite is a patent-pending nicotine replacement drink designed to help die hard cigarette smokers cope with all the new prohibitive smoking regulations. The new lemon-flavored, water-based nicotine drink is now in test market at domestic airport shops for cigarette smokers who fly. Packaged in an appealing 8 ounce blue bottle, NIC Lite contains 4 milligrams of purified organic nicotine (two cigarettes worth) infused in pure-grade water. It contains no carbs, calories or preservatives. (Video)
ALMONDS ARE IN
According to a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, almonds contain antioxidants in levels comparable to those of healthy foods such as broccoli and tea.
Antioxidants serve to deactivate free radicals, rogue elements in the body that can destroy cells and potentially lead to problems such as heart disease, cancer and stroke.
WHOLE WHEAT THAT TASTES WHITE
Wonder--the best selling brand of white bread in America--is serving up a lesson in whole grains at this year's National PTA Convention that will be easy for both parents and children to swallow: whole grain bread that tastes and feels just like traditional white bread. Wonder Made With Whole Grain White provides a good source of whole grains, an excellent source of calcium and folic acid, a good source of fiber and eight essential vitamins and minerals -- and tastes, looks and feels just like white bread.
PORK, NOT PORKY
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) analysis found that pork tenderloin contains only 2.98 grams of fat per 3-ounce serving, compared to 3.03 grams of fat in a 3-ounce serving of skinless chicken breast(2). Pork tenderloin meets government guidelines for "extra lean" status. On average, six common cuts of pork are 16 percent leaner than 15 years ago, and saturated fat has dropped 27 percent. Pork also packs a significant amount of nutrients in every lean portion. A 3-ounce serving of pork tenderloin is an "excellent" source of protein, thiamin, vitamin B6, phosphorus and niacin, and a "good" source of riboflavin, potassium and zinc, yet contributes only 6 percent of the calories to a 2,000-calorie diet.