Food manufacturers are tapping into the lucrative market for functional foods, with one firm claiming its latest range of dairy drinks has specific health benefits. Áine Kerr reports.
Manufacturers of functional food drinks have engineered an impressive marketing campaign by tuning into the specific health concerns of Ireland's ageing population.
As a result, this is one of the fastest growing and most lucrative areas of food production.
Sales of probiotic yoghurts and drinks alone were worth about €46 million in Ireland last year, with the industry growing at a rate of 20 per cent per annum.
Functional foods are growing in popularity because consumers increasingly want food which is convenient but which they also perceive to be healthy, says Tara McCarthy, a senior manager in Bord Bia's consumer foods division.
As health-conscious people make determined efforts to take hold of their future health, functional foods provide something akin to "medicine food" for people wanting to "fix" some specific health concern.
One of the latest additions to the functional foods industry, the Yoplait Essence range, comprises four concentrated dairy products designed to deliver specific health benefits or "boosts", as opposed to probiotic drinks which aim to improve general wellbeing and digestion.
The Yoplait products claim to offer a variety of benefits and are titled: "immunity boost", "lower blood pressure and cholesterol", "healthy digestion" and "lose weight".
Two other products originally intended for the range - "strong bones" and "multivitamin boost" - were withdrawn before the product launch earlier this year, but other variations of the boosts may be put on the market in the future.
The creation of the range by Glanbia followed substantial market research into consumer demands and health concerns, according to Claire O'Sullivan, nutrition and sensory manager with Glanbia Consumer Foods.
In marketing the range, Glanbia points to some relevant statistics.
Some 50 per cent of Irish men and women over the age of 50 have high blood pressure, while cardiovascular disease is responsible for 43 per cent of all deaths in Ireland, the company says.
It adds that one in five men and women in Europe suffer from osteoporosis and 57 per cent of Irish adults are overweight.
In the case of the "lose weight" product, each boost contains 272 milligrams of calcium which increases the typical daily calcium intake to a level that has been shown to lead to significantly increased fat loss when combined with a reduction of 500 calories in a daily diet, the manufacturer claims.
The "lower blood pressure and cholesterol" product contains a unique concentrated boost of plant sterols and potassium, both of which are proven to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, says Glanbia.
"The functional drinks market is a hugely growing area with 200 per cent growth last year. The specific health products, such as the Yoplait Essence range, are growing at a rate of 214 per cent," says O'Sullivan.
While the manufacturer envisions that a person will identify one health concern, select one of the health drinks and consume seven shots of this particular product every week, Elmary Purtill Judge, a dietician and member of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, queries how a person with both low blood pressure and poor digestion might best use the products.
"Should they be consuming two products to suit their condition? While these products are useful, they are not as useful as first getting the foundations right, such as diet and exercise," she says.
"The quick and easy fix can be tempting, but the foundations have to be in place."
Purtill Judge adds that those choosing to purchase the Yoplait boosts should do so on a consistent daily and weekly basis if the boosts are to have the intended effects.
The Yoplait range was examined by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) earlier this year in an effort to establish if the products were in any way misleading and if the product claims were verifiable.
Dr Pat O'Mahony, chief specialist in biotechnology with the FSAI, says that in some instances, wording on the products was changed and some ingredients removed on the recommendations of the authority.
However, the products will have to go through a similar process again this year when new legislation is enforced by the European Food Safety Authority which will standardise what health claims can be made and the evidence required to substantiate those claims across all member states.