SupplySide Reflections

Last week, thousands of ingredient suppliers and product manufacturers descended upon Las Vegas to take part in the ever-growing SupplySide West show—attendance was strong, and we had more booths than ever before. A great show, with excellent feedback from attendees.

The food component of the show continues to grow, and the number of ingredients suited to use in health-oriented foods is likewise on an upswing. From all indications that I saw, this category very well might be gearing up for a banner year in 2011 as R&D continues to ramp up and consumers begin spending more again.

Although the number of specialized GRAS nutritional ingredients (those isolated and extracted from foods) continues to increase, watch for more whole-food ingredients to hit the supply chain and subsequently find a home in products geared toward both mainstream and hardcore health-and-wellness consumers. Researchers continue to suggest that the synergy of the many bioactive constituents of any given food (e.g., whole red grapes vs. isolated resveratrol) may be responsible for its overall, clinically proven impact on health. Such ingredients will find a home in the emerging “naturally functional” category—foods highlighting whole-food ingredients that consumers automatically connect with health. Although federal regulators have had little to say on the subject of “natural,” R&D in this product area continues, and foods that highlight use of whole-food ingredients, when formulated to permit a clean, easily understood label, will maintain appeal to natural foods consumers. Research in this area continues—highlighted here and there in the educational aspect of the show—and will help shed more light on prevailing directions and trends in functional and generally healthy foods.

Specific ingredients to watch in the coming years include superfruits (both established types like blueberries, cranberries and pomegranate, as well as emerging superfruits like cocona, yacon, Indian gooseberry, aronia, etc.) and the combined category of probiotics and prebiotics, which had very strong representation at the show.

Products tied to specific health conditions will also gain momentum as formulators dial down the benefits of the bioactive ingredients in the mix to make intended use for products clearer to consumers. Key categories here include immunity, energy, healthy aging, and weight loss and management. Beverages, as always, remain strong players in functional foods, and will remain primary vehicles for functional ingredients moving forward.

A big thanks to all of the exhibitors, attendees, speakers and Virgo staff who made this show such a great success!