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.