Health and wellness sectors shaped by COVID-19, says Beneo exec

13 Apr 2021 --- Consumers today are more aware of the role nutrition can play in promoting health and wellness. That is according to Stefanie De Roover, the newly appointed sales director for EMEA at Beneo. Speaking to NutritionInsight, De Roover shares her insights on the pandemic and how it is changing the way consumers look at personal health.

“Prior to the pandemic, consumers were interested in having transparent labels that allow them to make conscious choices about what they ingest. COVID-19 has boosted this sector, and we see a notable shift toward the consumption of healthy foods and consumers becoming more active,” she explains.

Supporting health
The pandemic has impacted global consumers and trends on both sides of the pond. 

Beneo recently appointed Stefanie De Roover as Sales Director EMEA.De Roover says there are some similarities between European and US consumers, but there is more of a tendency for healthy eating and staying fit in the US specifically. 

Moreover, several key trends are dominating the health scene in EMEA. 

According to De Roover, weight management, blood sugar management and mental well-being are areas that consumers are becoming more interested in. 

Another trend is clean label, she observes. This is driven by transparency and ethical choices.

“Consumers want to avoid unknown ingredients, and this theme is rising.” 

Next to this, animal-based ingredients are also under scrutiny.

“Around 70 percent of global consumers prefer more plant-based nutrition, which they see as an important contribution to long-term health. This is also a trend we see accelerating by the pandemic.” 

Consumers know that by following plant-based diets, they can have a positive effect on their personal health.

“This is a significant change we see happening, and a lot of these trends are here to stay,” she affirms. 

Digestive health is crucial
Gut and digestive health was already an established trend that has been pushed into the spotlight amid the pandemic. 

“The interest is there and will continue to grow in the months ahead,” she maintains.

“Digestive health is trending because of its links to immunity,” De Roover confirms. “The gut is the main part of your inner defense system, so keeping your gut healthy can increase immunity. This trend was already here, but because of the major impacts that COVID-19 has had, these trends will be here for the long haul.”

“We see a high demand for various prebiotic chicory fibers like our inulin and oligofructose, again playing into those digestive health trends,” she explains. Keeping your gut healthy can increase immunity.

Healthy aging in the spotlight 
Beneo is also looking into solutions for healthy aging, including in terms of physical and mental health. 

“We believe that Palatinose, known as our ‘next-gen’ sugar, and also our chicory root fibers have a key role to play in the healthy aging field,” she explains. 

“Healthy aging is becoming more of a concern as people over/older than 55 are becoming a larger part of our society. They’re all concerned about staying active for longer, feeling better for longer, and we are actively developing concepts around this.”

Plant-based appeal
As part of her new role, De Roover will be putting a more significant focus on the plant-based sectors. 

“There are lots of opportunities with plant-based innovation,” she says. “Of course, it’s not just about meat replacement or dairy alternatives. We see a lot of interest in the bakery and confectionery industries, and even with chocolate.”

“Bakery, chocolate and confectionery industries are searching for ways to exclude animal-derived ingredients into their food, and are developing new solutions to cater to those needs and trends.”

Meanwhile, anything that has to do with plant-based proteins is expected to be popular in the coming months and years, De Roover forecasts. 

“We are also looking into alternative dairy with soluble plant-based proteins.”

Rice ingredients and fibers from chicory can also play an interesting role in the plant-based arena, she flags. “For example, in chocolate. Here rice powder can replace milk powder and is giving you a very nice and creamy taste in the final product.”

Rice ingredients and fibers from chicory can play an interesting role in the plant-based arena.Future growth
Beneo has invested more than €50 million (US$59 million) in its plant in Chile to increase the worldwide capacity of its chicory root production. 

“We are increasing our capacity by 20 percent from next year onwards, and this is really something that we will work on to cater to the needs of our customers that are increasingly interested in the ingredient and its benefits to human health.”

De Roover says she sees a bright future for Beneo’s ingredients. “There are a whole range of applications, such as baby food, bakery, ready meals, beverages, confectionery, that our ingredients can be used in,” she says.

Moreover, digitalization plays a crucial role in remaining successful as a company in the future. 

“From a customer point of view, we want to ensure that Beneo is an agile supplier to work with, and our digital transformation will be key to this.”

“In turn, we believe that digital convenience will be an important aspect in contributing to Beneo’s growth, allowing for more efficient communication, as well as delivering on-demand supply with greater room for collaboration,” she concludes. 

By Elizabeth Green