Healthy weight management is one of the key global trends for 2015, it says, opening the door for snacks with increased satiety.
In a backlash against various strict diet regimes, consumers are turning away from weight management brands and expect mainstream snack options to meet their needs instead.
Protein, snackification and weight wellness
Peter Eskild-Jensen, marketing specialist for Europe, Middle East & Africa, DuPont Nutrition & Health, told BakeryandSnacks.com that consumers want to reduce their overall calorie intake and feel fuller for longer.
“After decades of following various diet regimes, consumers are turning their attention to mainstream products that can help them manage their weight simply and conveniently,” he said.
“And, while many established weight management brands are seeing their popularity fade, new enterprises are emerging and capturing a share of the market.
“A growing number of the new product launches for this segment have a satiety-related claim, with on-pack messages such as ‘stay full’ or ‘slow release energy’.
“The drivers behind them are three of the top 10 food and nutrition trends identified by New Nutrition Business for 2015: protein, snackification and weight wellness.”
Scientific studies suggest sustained protein intake increases satiety compared to low protein diets, added Eskild-Jensen. High protein meals have also been linked to a subsequent reduced energy intake.
Are you a ‘motivated struggler’ or ‘enlightened active’?
DuPont research has pinpointed two target consumer groups for satiety-promoting products.
“Motivated strugglers’, as we call them, are the group that focuses most on weight loss as a means to health and feeling good,” said Eskild-Jensen.
“Secondly there is the group ‘enlightened actives’, who see weight control as a means to long-term health and staying attractive.
“In a DuPont study focusing on consumer insights, we found generally a desire for as much fiber and protein as possible, 79% and 75% respectively, while limiting sugar and fats/oils in the diets.
“We see [these] results in Europe, Middle East & Africa as more products are launched with satiety-related claims – high protein and high/added fiber – targeting weight-conscious consumers who want to put hunger on hold.”
The breakfast category is already illustrating this trend, Eskild-Jensen added.
“The rise of breakfast biscuits, for example, highlights the growing reliance on satisfying, protein and fiber-enriched snacks as meal alternatives.”
Bakery and beyond!
Dupont illustrates how manufacturers could embrace the satiety trend with five new tried and tested concept ideas for its Litesse polydextrose dietary fiber and Supro soy protein.
These include baked nutrition bars (using Litesse and Supro to create a 60% vegetable protein bar with soy protein, barley, rice and oats); double fiber buns, oatmeal breakfast biscuits, and high protein wholemeal bread.
But snacks go beyond bakery: chocolate, chips, yogurt, fruit, dairy desserts, cheese, cookies, nuts, instant noodles and much more, said Eskild-Jensen.
“The high protein craze is expected to move into snack bars, cheese and beyond and we can see impressive growth in number of products launched with a high protein claim: 16% in 2009 to 27% in 2013,” he said.
“There’s an increased focus and awareness of the protein attributes, not just from body builders and enlightened actives, but also from wider groups of consumers. That’s where bakers can use fiber and protein combinations to target the healthy living trend.”