Bone health still niche, but sharp rise in NPD

On a global level, meanwhile, the market for bone health food and drink products has remained stubbornly flat at around $2.1bn over the last decade, according to Leatherhead Food Research (LFR) market intelligence manager Chris Brockman, who presented the data at an LFR conference on bone health yesterday.

The challenge, Brockman told FoodManufacture.co.uk, was engaging consumers, given that osteoporosis prevention was not top of mind for many shoppers and functional foods in the bone health arena also offered no immediate benefits, unlike products such as probiotics.

Meanwhile, many consumers that were worried about their bones probably drank more milk or took supplements, rather than seeking out 'functional foods', he speculated.

Mintel: Sharp rise in new products in 2009/10​

However, there were signs that the market was picking up, with the number of new products launched on a bone health platform rising sharply in 2009/10 with firms expanding beyond dairy, beverages, cereals and bakery into a range of products from calcium-enriched popcorn snacks to canned fruit salad with calcium-enriched fruit juice, said Mintel trends and innovation consultant Carla Ogeia Lewis.

Indeed, the number of new bone health launches in 2009 (508) was more than double the figure for 2008 (252), while there had already been 367 new products in the first eight months of this year, suggesting that 2010 would be a record year, she said.

Health claims: 'strong' or 'normal' bones?​

There was also encouraging news on the regulatory front, with bone health ingredients - notably calcium and vitamin D- faring well under the EU health claims regime, in sharp contrast to most other functional food ingredients.

That said, many delegates at the conference were concerned about the neutral wording of the approved claims in this area - 'calcium contributes to the maintenance of normal bone structure' (article 13.1), or 'calcium and vitamin D are needed for the normal growth and development of bone in children' (article 14) - given that many claims currently on the market refer to 'strong bones' (not 'normal' ones...).

Several delegates also expressed concerns about how the nutrient profiling clause in the health claims Regulation would impact the bone health market, given that some dairy products (where bone health claims are the most prevalent) might in future be prevented from making claims owing to their high fat or salt content.

Market opportunities​

As for target markets, there were distinct groups to focus on, including young people, menopausal women, the ageing population in general and people with a dairy intolerance, said Purac market development specialist Willy van Arkel.

Major launches in the last three years included Calcifort - a dairy drink from FieslandCampina with calcium and vitamin D; Activ Ossia - a dairy drink from Spanish dairy firm Clesa containing calcium and inulin/oligofructose for improved calcium absorption; and Densia (pictured) - a calcium and vitamin D-enriched yogurt from Danone targeting women aged 40+.