Immunity NPD proliferates in beverages and probiotics

03 Sep 2020 --- Tapping into the growing consumer demands around immunity, two US-based companies have launched products in this space. Previously focusing solely on cannabidiol (CBD) beverages, Weller now offers Sparkling Immunity, a carbonated water featuring elderberry to deliver essential vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile, Life Extension has introduced Florassist Immune and Nasal Defense, which is a probiotic formula developed after observing that factory workers at a yeast fermentation plant had better attendance than their office counterparts.

“The most valuable learning for us came from the utmost disruptive period of the pandemic, from March to May. For that 12-week period, we were the number one CBD F&B brand and the second-fastest growing brand out of the top 20 CBD brands in the category,” says John Simmons, co-founder of Weller. 

The company states that the launch was motivated by increased consumer interest in immune-boosting products due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving beyond the cold and flu aisle and a reactive health mindset, the non-CBD sparkling water provides a convenient way to integrate immunity protection into a daily routine, Weller details. 

Immunity has been front and center for the last few months, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it had already been rising, with Innova Market Insights reporting 15 percent annual growth of food, beverage and supplement launches featuring an immune health claim (Global, 2015-2019). While supplements currently dominate, the dairy, hot drinks and sports nutrition categories are growing quickly. 

Elderberry stars
While elderberry juice is Sparkling Immunity’s “star” ingredient, secondary fruit flavors like peach, strawberry and lemon-lime round out the palate with multi-dimensional flavors. The simple, all-natural ingredient list offers a core nutrient profile of vitamin C, vitamin D3, zinc and magnesium for a healthy daily habit that “provides immune support in every sip.”

“When developing a new line, we decided to create something we truly felt tasted great and would resonate with consumers’ palates. New iterations of our consumers’ favorites are just the start, and we look forward to an even greater year of growth for the brand,” flags Simmons. 

The products will be launched into Weller’s existing footprint of 1,500 US retailers. “The strategic advantage to the brand is activating our brokers and sales teams who can place these products with retailers that haven’t adopted CBD beverages yet. We have amazing velocities across channels and are in a great position to leverage our brand equity with another timely wellness solution for consumers,” adds Megan Siegel Jansen, Vice-President of Sales of Weller.

In conjunction with the product launch, Weller will donate beverages to frontline workers and organizations they have supported since the pandemic began. These partners include Community Food Share, Conscious Alliance, Frontline Friends, Metro Caring, North Colorado Medical Center, Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, UC Health Hospital in Colorado, and Waterfall Beverages.Life Extension’s Florassist Immune and Nasal Defense is formulated with a yeast fermentate and a probiotic strain.

Probiotics for a healthy immune response
Also addressing immunity demands, Life Extension’s Florassist Immune and Nasal Defense is formulated with EpiCor yeast fermentate, as well as the probiotic strain L. rhamnosus CRL1505. EpiCor was discovered accidentally when factory workers at a yeast fermentation plant recorded better attendance than their office counterparts. 

After this pattern was observed, multiple follow-up studies demonstrated that those who were working on the factory floor had higher levels of secretory IgA and natural killer cell activity, which are essential parts of the body’s immune defense, compared to their cubicle-bound colleagues.

Meanwhile, the probiotic strain is isolated from milk in northwestern Argentina. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving hundreds of Argentinian school children, subjects who received L. rhamnosus five days a week for six months had nearly 50 percent fewer recorded instances of immune challenges when compared to the placebo group. The same study also showed that the probiotic group had 47 percent higher levels of secretory IgA.

“With Life Extension’s new Florassist Immune and Nasal Defense, serendipitous discovery has led to a real health benefit. It encourages the body’s healthy immune response, supports healthy nasal airflow and healthy response to things in the environment, such as pollen,” says Dr. Michael Smith, Life Extension’s Director of Education. 

Probiotics have been in the spotlight recently for their immunity attributes, with NPD proliferating. On the clinical side, Biosearch Life is undertaking a clinical trial examining the effect of its Hereditum Immunactiv K8 product on COVID-19. Meanwhile, ADM Biopolis and Hospital de Sagunto, in Spain, are investigating the effects of administering a food supplement containing three of ADM’s live probiotic strains on COVID-19 patients. 

By Katherine Durrell

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