Changing Consumer Preferences Favour Nutraceuticals

05/10/05 Increasingly health conscious consumers are now focussing on foods not only for their organoleptic characteristics but also for their nutritional properties. Reflective of this trend, consumers are seeking products containing health-promoting ingredients such as nutraceuticals. While burgeoning consumer demand is stimulating growth in the nutraceutical market, regulatory burdens are acting as a restraint on rapid expansion.

"In today's fast-paced life, a healthy life style is absolutely essential. Enhanced awareness towards health and wellness is leading to a drastic change in the nutritional behaviour of consumers," says Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Anil Naidu.

"Consumers are now showing a growing interest in natural, health-enhancing nutraceuticals and fortified foods, rather then food made in traditional ways."
At the same time, spiralling healthcare costs associated with conventional therapeutics are boosting the uptake of alternatives such as nutraceuticals.

Alternative healthcare is also gaining importance due to the media interest exhibited in food manufacturers using novel nutraceutical ingredients. Purported benefits in combating diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis and heart conditions are further increasing the appeal of nutraceuticals products.

As a rapidly aging population in developed countries tries to prolong their active lifestyle, nutraceuticals such as vitamins and minerals are growing in popularity. Moreover, as the healthcare needs of this graying segment rise, efforts to curb burgeoning healthcare expenditures are likely to provoke an examination of alternative healthcare options.

Research and discovery, product development and innovation, industry consolidation, government regulation, media attention, international trade and consumer perceptions and expectations are amongst the medley of factors influencing the nutraceuticals industry.