European Sports Nutrition Market is Soaring

People practising sports for a few hours per week and elderly will benefit from the know-how of sports nutrition for highly specialised target groups , which have been built up over the years.

3 Dec 2009 --- The European market for sport nutrition is soaring with double digit growth in most countries. Products designed for body builders, “Tour de France” cyclists, soccer and tennis players, or top athletes are at the brink of entering mainstream markets in Europe. People practising sports for a few hours per week and elderly will benefit from the know-how of sports nutrition for highly specialised target groups , which have been built up over the years. A lot of innovation activity is focussed on recovery from sports. These are the important take-home messages from the first ‘Sports & Performance Nutrition’ (SPN) Conference on November 19 & 20 in Frankfurt, organized by the Dutch knowledge and network organization, Bridge2Food.

The Conference dealt with different aspects of sports nutrition, market trends & developments, type of products (sports & energy drinks, bars, gels, “Ready to Drink” products) and key development in different sales channels (retailers, sport clubs/gyms, internet), mentioned Gerard Klein Essink, Managing Director with Bridge2Food. Interesting case studies of Axellus, Lucozade, Science in Sports, Atlantic Multipower, Nutrisense were presented, proving the diversity in product/ market combinations and consumer/category segmentation. In the last years the focus was on rehydration and fueling the athlete before and during the games, explained Nick Morgan, Applied Science Manager of the Lucozade Sports Academy. He highlighted the growing importance of solutions for a fast recovery for professional sports practitioners.

A growth market
The Finnish Case Study showed a yearly growth in this category in Finland of around 15% in total over the last four years; protein powders share being the highest with 30% contribution compared to other product groups (like RTD, sports bars, sport drinks, gels etc). In Germany, the Gym is with 6 million members still a major outlet for SPN supplies; current market volume being around € 95 mln (sold through specialised shops, stores and internet). In the UK the Sports drinks & nutrition market is worth over € 300 million, with a projected growth rate of more than 30% for the next three years.

Innovation & co-operation
Co-operation with ingredient companies is key for future development, which was underlined by Gert-Jan van der Weerd, Managing Director with Nutrisense. During the conference new partnerships were established as a result of ideas generated by HAN University in The Netherlands and Bridge2Food. Funding programmes of the EU to drive innovation are an excellent opportunities for small and medium enterprises, as explained by David Garlot of the Eureka/Eurostars Secretariat.

A new category opportunity for sports nutrition is the development of mental performance products (mental health, concentration and alertness) as explained by Cindy Gerhardt, DSM Business Development Manager for Pep2Balance, a new egg-based protein hydrolysate.

Cross-over to the elderly
Not only tennis players, Tour de France cyclists, professional body builders, ice-skaters and top athletes, may benefit from high-quality protein products; other client segments like elderly people may benefit as well, according to European cyclist champion and SPN speaker Tim Lawson, Director with Science in Sport. Lex Verdijk of Maastricht University/Nutrim in the Netherlands, explained that there are effective strategies available to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and improve muscle mass, strength and function for the elderly.

Other developments
At  SPN 2009, other developments in the area of sports nutrition have been addressed as well. Interesting new health applications include the use of soy, whey, isomaltulose, for muscle building, satiety induction and weight management.

Industry platform
The SPN 2009 has been the first conference to bring together food manufacturers, ingredient companies, researchers and market specialist in the field of sports nutrition. It has marked the first step in the creation of a global industry platform for sports nutrition professionals. Already other platforms have been initiated by Bridge2Food in the field of Proteins, Bars, Meat-free and Dairy-free products.

www.bridge2food.com