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Bounty of Healthful, Convenient Products

While consumers turn to their taps to combat bottled-water waste, manufacturers are encouraging them to whet their whistles with flavored waters that boast functional benefits. Consumers are asking themselves, What is the point of spending the money and dealing with the landfill issues? Lynn Dornblaser, director of the research consultancy at Mintel, told audience members at the What's Hot

LAS VEGAS — While consumers turn to their taps to combat bottled-water waste, manufacturers are encouraging them to whet their whistles with flavored waters that boast functional benefits.

“Consumers are asking themselves, ‘What is the point of spending the money and dealing with the landfill issues?’” Lynn Dornblaser, director of the research consultancy at Mintel, told audience members at the “What's Hot in New Products” session, part of the Food Marketing Institute Show held here last week.

“We're seeing a shift from plain bottled water,” she said. “Providing more than what consumers can get from the tap are: a detox water; Snapple has a vitamin water; and there is even a water with added dairy peptides to help lower blood pressure.” Fortified powdered beverage mix sticks from Propel and Crystal Light are also enhancing plain water, she said.

Products boasting sea salts and low-sodium reformulations are increasingly hitting store shelves.

“We are seeing so much growth in what we call place salts, source salts and sea salts,” said Dornblaser. “We took a look at these salts, as well as items that made a low-, no- or reduced-sodium claim, and there is a similar [sales] trajectory for both.”

Many single products incorporate both trends, she related. Campbell's Low Sodium Soups, for instance, have been reformulated with sea salt.

Mintel's new product database is also keeping a close watch on items that include ancient grains, or sacred grains, such as kamut, quinoa, teff, spelt, amaranth and millet.

“These grains are appealing to adventuresome cooks, and many are higher in fiber than other grains, and gluten-free, as opposed to wheat,” she said. “Quinoa is an example of an ancient grain that is a complete protein, so it has all nine amino acids, making it an extremely good choice for vegetarians or people who want to take meat out of their diet.” Bread and cereals like Nature's Path Organic Synergy are touting inclusion of these grains on their packaging.

Products that have been sourced in accordance with fair trade standards are also moving beyond the traditional coffee, tea and chocolate categories to include segments such as peanut butter, sauces, snack bars and juices, said Dornblaser.


Do-it-yourself kits, like paternity tests intended for home use, are also emerging, she said.

Kellogg's has introduced a kit under the same “Smart Start” brand used for the manufacturer's line of heart-healthy cereals. The kit enables users to test their cholesterol and blood pressure at home. “The product helps to reinforce that Smart Start messaging,” noted Dornblaser.

Products that offer greater transparency are also gaining momentum.

In the U.K. and Australia, “junk free” claims are making their way onto packages of products marketed specifically to children.

“It's restating the idea of no additives or preservatives with much more of an emotional statement,” said Dornblaser, who expects the trend will make its way to the States.

Easy-to-understand “clean” labels that simply state ingredients are also moving into the fore.

“In the household cleaning product category, we're seeing some products that will list a chemical name and then indicate in parentheses what it does or where it comes from,” she said.

Pictures of wholesome ingredients likes fruits and vegetables are also being used to clearly convey the purity of ingredients to consumers, as is see-through packaging.

The packaging of “a chilled meal sold at Trader Joe's, for instance, allows you to see the meal before you buy it,” Dornblaser said.

Indeed, it behooves retailers to be as transparent as possible in all aspects of their business, she added, especially since “it's so easy today to check up on a company and see what they're actually doing.”

In that vein, items advertising a product's or manufacturer's carbon footprint will also become more commonplace. Mintel research indicates that the percentage of consumers who say they regularly buy green products tripled during a recent 18-month period to 36%.