Food & Beverage Asia February/March 2020

26
INGREDIENTS
Strong, active and
over 60
A growing number of seniors are young at heart and
healthy in body. But is the food industry doing enough to
meet their nutritional needs?
By Takashi Ichikawa, Strategic Marketing Manager in Japan;
and Zoe Zhou, Strategic Marketing Manager in China,
DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences
holds a wealth of opportunities to explore,
and that the best way to get started is to
understand the market.
Perhaps some audiences might not
appreciate having a “senior” label on the
food products they buy. Or, they have other
priorities that trigger their purchasing
decisions. Understanding how to appeal
to consumer preferences while complying
with local food labelling regulations are
preconditions of success.
It’s no wonder we keep on hearing
about the aging global population.
The United Nations reports that
the number of over-60s has more
than doubled since 1980, and is
expected to double again – reaching nearly
2.1 billion – by 2050. Countless clinical
studies have also shown that, with the right
nutrition and exercise, the older generation
can keep fit, healthy and independent way
into the twilight years.
Why is it, then, that Japan, the country
with the world’s oldest population, has
so few food products directly targeted
at senior consumers on its supermarket
shelves? And why are there even fewer in
China, the nation with the world’s biggest
population overall?
As with most questions, there is an answer.
Most importantly for food producers, there
is no doubt the senior nutrition segment
First impression can be wrong
Despite first impressions in the
supermarkets, Japan is, in fact, the leading
country for senior-positioned food, drink
and healthcare launches in the world. The
Mintel Global New Products Database
shows that the Japanese market accounted
for one-third of all such launches in the five
years up to 2018. Of new food products
with a senior claim, around 80% are ready
meals.
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA FEBRUARY / MARCH 2020