Immunity roundtable: Turning market challenges into ingredient innovation

16 Mar 2021 --- In pre-pandemic times, many considered immune health to be a seasonal issue, targeting mostly seniors and vulnerable consumer groups. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made stable immune systems a priority across all age groups and sectors of society.

Although the trend has proliferated in the past year, numerous market challenges prevail, including supply chain issues and sector saturation.

NutritionInsight speaks with experts from AstaReal, Beneo, Euromed, Gelita, GoodMills Innovation, Kaneka Pharma Europe, Nutriswiss and Taiyo about how R&D struggles can lead to industry innovation.

Supply chain issues
For Andrea Zangara, head of scientific communications and marketing at Euromed, the pandemic has fuelled demand for safe and effective botanicals in light of raw material shortages due to logistical problems. 

“This opens the door for counterfeit material to enter the supply chain, meaning adulteration has become an even more important concern than before the crisis,” he says.

“Wherever a market delivers profits, counterfeiters are not far behind,” adds Laura Ingenlath, quality manager of Taiyo.

Ingenlath affirms counterfeiting is especially rampant in the tea and tea extracts sector.Full traceability is therefore required. “Suppliers should have an integrated supply chain in place, where each step – starting with the raw materials – is traceable and accountable,” highlights Zangara.

Ingenlath flags how counterfeiting is especially rampant in the tea and tea extracts sector. “Taiyo has therefore developed an ‘Adulteration Free’ campaign that ensures that our green tea extracts are 100 percent natural and free from adulteration.”

Innova Market Insights crowned “Transparency Triumphs” as its top F&B trend for 2021. The leading trend pays homage to “Storytelling: Winning with Words” with a renewed consumer interest in ingredient sourcing through the lens of emergent technologies that elevate supply chain visibility. 

Competitive market
Counterfeit or not, more products with immune health claims are entering the nutrition arena than ever before, says Maryanne Mburu, senior key account manager at AstaReal.

That spiked demand can make it difficult for new products to break into the market, according to Oliver Wolf, head of global B2B marketing at Gelita. 

“It’s safe to assume the desire to protect oneself against infections will remain even after the pandemic. This means people will continue to look for further ways to strengthen their immune system and turn to innovative offerings.”

The “very competitive” market can moreover present an opportunity to stand out from the crowd, adds Mburu. She points to higher quality products offering unique ingredients and innovative dosage forms as two examples.

With immune-strengthening solutions “seemingly growing day by day,” Jutta Schock, head of marketing at GoodMills Innovation, maintains industry needs to react quickly and commercialize efficiently. 

Despite high demand, the “very competitive” immunity market can also be difficult for new products to break into the market.“Customers can rely on [GoodMills’] agility and versatility. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, we have always worked on health-promoting ingredients,” she says.

Aligning with the transparency trend, ingredient manufacturers can also take advantage of tapping into additional naturality-driven consumer needs, such as plant-based and more environmentally sustainable products. 

Rediscovering immunity applications
The pandemic has shown consumers want to learn more about immune health and how best to support it. 

“Brands can use this engagement to shape their products and communication in favor of science-backed solutions,” says Van hulle of Kaneka Pharma. 

NutritionInsight previously spoke with Van hulle about ubiquinol’s “forgotten” immunity indications amid shifting consumer priorities.

Similarly, collagen has long been used in joint health and beauty-from-within products, but its importance in the context of immune health is now also being recognized.

“That’s because many processes relevant to immune health also involve collagen-rich tissues, such as the skin, the extracellular matrix and the bones,” explains Wolf of Gelita. 

In the prosperous omega 3 sector, fatty acids were in demand to support pre-pandemic babies’ immune systems, especially in infant formulas. “Now, there is growing demand for similarly enriched functional foods for adults,” Michel Burla, Nutriswiss CEO, chimes in.

“On the one hand, omega 3 fatty acids activate immune cells such as neutrophil granulocytes, macrophages and killer cells. On the other hand, mediator molecules such as prostaglandins are also triggered, subsequently bringing the immune system into a state of greater readiness.”

Beneo has invested over €50 million (US$59.7 million) in its plant in Pemuco, Chile, to meet future demands for prebiotic dietary fibers.Strong synergies between gut and immune health
Overall, industry is taking note of how the wider immune and gut health trends are interwoven with each other, banking on the overlap with NPD proliferation.

“Consumers are better informed than ever about the inter-relationships in the human body,” highlights Annelore De Boe, product manager of functional fibers at Beneo.

“For example, the beneficial effect of a normal body weight is widely recognized, and also controlled and well-balanced blood glucose levels are increasingly seen to play a role.”

The health trend connection made global headlines when UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged his own weight played a role in his battle with COVID-19, consequently declaring a “war on obesity” after spending time in an ICU fighting the virus earlier last year.

New delivery formats
Further to her point on product differentiation, Mburu maintains using Hematococcus pluvialis astaxanthin in capsule, liquid shot, sachet or soft gum formats is a key example of employing unique ingredients for attractive delivery formats.

Outside of the supplement scene, functional F&B is the top of mind for consumers looking for comfort food that is healthy but indulgent.

“So-called ‘sins’ don’t necessarily have to be that bad after all. Just imagine convenience pizza that is additive-free, chips based on legumes that are higher in protein and nutrients, and chocolate cookies with less sugar and more fiber,” says Jutta Schock from GoodMills.

There are well-known herbal extracts that may have unexplored immune potential, says Zangara, such as milk thistle.“After all, not everyone has become a passionate cook, and many people have found themselves turning to comfort food in those challenging times, such as sweets, ice cream and savory nibbles.”

“Even soft drinks, bars or snacks that are perceived to have a rather ‘unhealthy image’ gain added nutritional value when augmented with healthy ingredients,” argues Ingenlath from Taiyo.

Uncertainty remains
Despite their burgeoning market potential, health supplements cannot always compensate or cure lifestyle-associated deficiencies, flags Burla from Nutriswiss. It is “simply not possible” to ignore the fundamental requirements of a balanced diet, exercise and sleep. 

“The global measures taken to cope with the pandemic tend to add to the stress that has a negative effect on the immune system. The closure of sports facilities, gyms and restaurants, combined with worries about jobs and loved ones, cannot be counteracted by a plant extract.” 

Caution must be heeded surrounding products forced to market too quickly, creating “exaggerated and unsubstantiated” expectations that further unsettle consumers. 

“Concepts and products that address the long-term needs of an aging, increasingly health-conscious population, by contrast, will still be in demand after the crisis,” Burla concludes.

By Anni Schleicher