Oser Communications Group

8 SNACKING NEWS December 2018 SNACKING NEWS Consumers Continue to Thirst for Functional Beverages BY ROBIN MATHER Poet Maya Angelou once said of herself, "I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better." Millions of people have adopted that philosophy for themselves, and their desire to "do better" is driving turbocharged growth in the func- tional beverages segment. Functional drinks are the fastest grow- ing segment of the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Statista, which scans hundreds of market research reports, says the sales of energy drinks alone reached nearly $3 bil- lion in the last 13 weeks of 2017. SPINS reports that shelf-stable functional bever- age sales rose 140.5 percent this year from 2017, and sales of shelf-stable water, which includes enhanced waters, increased by 740 percent. Grand View Research says rising societal awareness of serious health problems related to carbonated soft drink consumption has been the biggest reason for market growth. "Consumers now more than ever under- stand the relationship between what they eat and drink and how they feel, both men- tally and physically," says April Siler, Vice-President of Marketing for Califia Farms in Los Angeles, California. "They're looking for functional beverages to address wellness and health." Califia Farm's Full Shot is a non-dairy cold-brewed coffee energy drink that fea- tures MCTs, or medium-chain triglyc- erides, which have been linked to energy and mental acuity in many scientific stud- ies, she says. "We have a range of product categories, and in each line, we have a functional product." Energy drinks are certainly one kind of functional beverage, but they're not the only kind. Califia Farms has also just launched a line of non-dairy drinkable yo- gurts with probi- otics in Strawberry, Super Berry and Mango flavors. The yo- gurt is cultured with a blend of al- mond, oat and co- conut milks, using the most docu- mented functional bacteria, the BB12 strain of Bifidobac- terium. Califia is first company in the world to culture BB12 in a non-dairy source, Siler says. Califia's approach to functional bever- ages is that "we see no trade-off," Siler says. "Our functional beverages are al- ways lower sugar, and we always offer a no-sugar option. A functional beverage that provides more sugar than an adult should consume in a day isn't really doing you a favor." Other functional beverages offer more focused benefits. Ira Antelis of Chicago, Illinois, founded and is the co-Owner of 120Life, which makes a beverage designed with a specific benefit in mind: "In blood pressure, what's considered normal is 120/80. This drink is to improve your life by improving your blood pressure," he says. 120Life combines hibiscus, beet root powder, pomegranate juice, tart cherry juice, cranberry juice, magnesium and ste- via. Each ingredient is well-documented by scientific studies to improve blood pressure, he says. Because the U.S. Food and Drug Ad- ministration is wary of health claims, he is careful to say that 120Life's ingredi- ents have been well-studied, not that the beverage itself will improve blood pressure. Antelis says he was inspired to create the beverage when he did a little re- search and realized that no one in the world was making a beverage targeting blood pressure. "My idea was that you'd drink it in the morning like you might drink your orange juice and then you'd be done with it." Some functional beverages promise more protein, such as Trimino's Protein- Infused Waters, or extra vitamins, such as Bragg Boost, which boasts 20 vitamins, minerals and herbs – but no caffeine – in its organic apple cider vinegar-coconut water beverage. Mamma Chi's two lines of organic chia beverages – one for energy and one for vitality – offer 2,500 mg of Omega-3s, the heart-healthy fat, 4 grams of protein and can claim to be an excellent source of fiber. The energy product also has 90 mg of natural caffeine, the com- pany says. Pervida uses pomegranate seed oil and two patented technologies to make its wa- ters, which the company says are rich in antioxidants and punicic acids – the first to maintain cell integrity and the latter to support the immune system. Physicians designed Shine Water to pro- vide vitamins, minerals and nutrients with- out sugar or artificial ingredients. Each bottle provides vitamins D3, B12 and folic acid, as well as potassium, magnesium and zinc. The waters are lightly sweetened with stevia leaf extract and have 20 calo- ries per bottle. A portion of sales proceeds are donated to OneWorld Health, which provides vitamins to children in Africa and Central America. Dozens and dozens of functional bever- ages come to market every day, but Califia Farm's Siler says she doesn't think the market will be overcrowded any time soon. "There's no way to overstate the amount of growth we're experiencing," she says. "People are not going to go back to not thinking about what their bever- ages have to offer them. Once you've made the connection between what you eat and drink and how you feel, you can't unlearn that." n seed launches in the year ending May 2017 used one or more health claims – in- cluding allergy-free, gluten-free, natural, and no-additives or preservatives. Other key claims include high-fiber, high pro- tein, low cholesterol, low sodium and no trans fats. It used to be that "nut snacks" meant lit- tle bags of peanuts or cashews, bars or trail mix. But with such lively consumer interest in the health benefits of snacks, manufacturers have become increasingly clever about snacks with nuts as a central ingredient. Nut butters with healthy add-ins and grown-up flavors have already captured consumers' interest. Betsy's Best, launched by registered dietitian Betsy Opyt, makes almond, cashew and peanut butters as well as seed butters, all with extras such as chia, cinnamon and flax. Eliot's Adult Nut Butters makes peanut butter with Spicy Thai, Espresso Nib, and Garam Masala fla- vors, among others, while Legendary Nut-Based Snacks Continued from Page 1 Foods sells peanut and almond butters with Apple Pie, Blueberry Cinnamon Bun and Pecan flavors. It's hard to take those big jars on a hike or to work, though, so makers have begun packaging their products in portion- controlled pouches. Justin's has introduced its snack packs of a nut butter accompanied by pretzels or banana chips for dipping in three fla- vors: Maple Almond But- ter + Pretzels, Chocolate Hazelnut Butter + Pretzels and Honey Peanut Butter + Banana Chips. The 1.3-ounce snack packs have 180 to 210 calories each, and have a suggested retail price of $2.29. FBOMB makes a line of macadamia nut butters in several flavors, including salted chocolate, coconut, sea salt and pecan sea salt. Made in Flagstaff, Arizona, the nut butter pouches weigh one ounce, and have 210 calories. Aimed at the low-carb and ketogenic diet market, the butters are also gluten-free, peanut-free and Non-GMO Project verified. A box of 10 pouches has a suggested retail price of $24.99, making each pouch about $2.49. Interest in gluten-free, low- carb and ketogenic diets has also created a consumer base which is familiar with almond flour as an alternative to wheat flour. Blue Diamond has been making its Almond Nut Thins crackers in nine flavors and has added a line of crackers that use cheese or seeds to add a bit of artisanal punch. A four-serving 4.25-ounce box has a sug- gested retail price of $2.55. The crackers are gluten-free but not low-carb. Simple Mills has just added four new snack-sized versions of its line of almond flour crackers. Farmhouse Cheddar, Fine Ground Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper and Smoky BBQ Cheddar flavors now come in a box of six single-serve pouches, each with three grams of protein. The baked crackers are certified gluten free, and are Non-GMO Project verified. The single-portion packages have a suggested retail price of $5.99. Julian Bakery's Paleo Thin Crackers also use almond flour, as well as seeds and seasonings. An 8.4-ounce box has a sug- gested retail price of $10.99, with about 17 servings of six crackers. Each serving has 70 calories, 2 grams of protein and no added sugars. The crackers are gluten free, organic and GMO free. Fat Snax's line of ketogenic- and paleo- friendly cookies are made with almond flour, too, and have about 90 calories per cookie. The cookies come in Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, and Lemony Lemon flavors, and a package of 12 cookies has a suggested retail price of $22.98. Sustainable Snacks makes a line of sweet and crunchy nut snacks featuring combinations such as cranberry, walnut and pepita with dark chocolate and blue- berry, pecan and dark chocolate. Each four-ounce resealable bag contains four portions, with a suggested retail price of $6.99. They are also Non-GMO Project certified, gluten-free, vegan and have no refined sugar. n

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