November 29/Prepared Foods -- HealthFocus International specializes in understanding consumer attitudes and understanding toward health and nutrition. For example, in the NutraSolutions “Ingredients for Health Reference” appearing in the December 2010 issue of Prepared Foods, Barbara Davis, vice president, HealthFocus International, writes that nearly three quarters of shoppers in the “2009 HealthFocus® International Trend Report,” agree on the importance of antioxidant-rich foods for the reduction of disease risk. Some 83% of these shoppers say they use antioxidants, and nearly a quarter report increasing their intake in the past two years. These shoppers also look for labels claiming “good source of antioxidants.”

Such studies discover unsuspected marketplace opportunities. Although older shoppers are most affected by bone and joint health, the highest interest in foods offering the benefit of promoting healthier and stronger bones occurred among adults in the 18 to 29-year old range. The study also found that “glycemic control” is gaining interest among shoppers, with two thirds of shoppers in the study saying they are interested in low-glycemic foods, an increase of 60% over the 2006 study.

HealthFocus also offers processors the ability to obtain more customized and proprietary data. In an upcoming “HealthFocus U.S. Health Claims Study,” they will identify the health benefits shoppers are looking for and the claims that are most believable to them on a category and brand basis.  Participating sponsors in this study will receive a full report detailing the benefits and claims that are most compelling to shoppers.  The cost of sponsorship, $12,000, will also allow companies to enter a proprietary brand and four claims for evaluation.  Additional products and claims can be added to the study for a fee of $1,500 per product. For more information, call Julie Johnson at 727-821-7499, or e-mail at julie.johnson@healthfocus.com

From the November 29, 2010, Prepared Foods E-dition