Food & Beverage Reporter August 2018

INGREDIENTS
For core users of performance nutrition
such as bodybuilders and serious athletes,
whey protein is still the key ingredient
with well-known benefits for muscle
maintenance and mass building.
Millennials are now influencing this wellestablished
market, creating room for
innovative developments, and transparent
product labels with ingredients of proven
effectiveness.
By Dr Dagmar Ortlepp, marketing manager EMEA,
Glanbia Nutritionals
THE WHEY TO GO
Although sports nutrition has
seen continued expansion
of its consumer base to now
include everyday gym goers interested
in active nutrition, serious athletes and
bodybuilders remain the core audience.
Already an established market, this
demographic is consistently driving a
high volume of sales – particularly in the
performance nutrition category. Whey
protein is one ingredient that continues
to appeal to this group of well informed,
yet highly critical consumers. But as sales
aimed at the elite athlete demographic
go from strength to strength, is there
still space for innovation in such a niche
segment? By understanding consumer
preferences, manufacturers will be able
to create targeted performance nutrition
that stands out on the shelves and
provides optimum health benefits.
Changing consumer groups
In recent years, there has been significant
investment in performance nutrition –
stimulated by rapid growth. The sports
nutrition market in Western Europe is
forecasted to grow around 7% annually
to reach more than US $1.96 million in
2021. Within this fast-expanding
segment, protein products represent
82% of the total global sports nutrition
value.The result has been a wave of
gourmet formulations, helping to
overcome past preconceptions of highprotein
products with bad taste and
texture. However, their high price means
that they have retained their elevated
status in the market – attracting more
serious athletes with specific goals
in mind.
Forming part of the premium
purchasing demographic, Millennials
– born between 1977 and 2000 – are
continuing to drive the sports nutrition
category. As this generation represents
a large proportion of the performance
nutrition category, it is important that
manufacturers understand their buying
habits to create increasingly targeted
nutrition. For example, Millennials tend
to lead busy lifestyles and require
formats that can be consumed on-the-go.
As such, powder continues to be the
most popular format, but ready-to-drink
products, protein bars and non-protein
products are also showing increased sales.
As Millennials tend to be more
educated and informed on the health
benefits of sports nutrition than other
generations, transparency of the products
they consume is also becoming
more important.
Keeping it ‘clean label’
The so-called “clean-label’” generation
continues to have a huge impact on new
product development in the performance
nutrition sector.
Preservative-free, no added sugars
or sweeteners, the products currently on
the shelves all speak to Millennials – and it
is adding an extra edge to sports nutrition.
Gatorade, for example, is targeting this
group with its new G Organic Thirst
Quencher. With a simple ingredients list
and a promise of organic, it’s clear why
the brand is leading the way in this
niche category.
However, today’s discerning
consumers can be fickle; their loyalty
can be lost as easily as it is won. With
more people paying attention to the
labels of sports nutrition, together with
increased access to scientific papers and
social media online, it is even more crucial
that manufacturers can provide evidence
that the ingredients used in formulations
work – to allow consumers to make better
informed decisions.
As such, simple ingredients that can be
22 AUGUST 2018 | FOOD & BEVERAGE REPORTER www.fbreporter.co.za