Vitafoods Europe 2019: It’s a wrap

• DSM shares its key highlights from the show; including data from two new surveys that interviewed a combined total of over 25,000 consumers to reveal key insights on health concerns and naturalness. The insights inspired the development of a range of new consumer-driven and customizable premixes, which were introduced at the show.
• DSM’s partners, digital health company Mixfit and digital health provider Panaceutics, joined DSM on booth to talk about their unique service offerings and how they meet the growing need for personalized nutrition solutions, while presenting devices to monitor individual health needs.
• Sustainability was a hot topic at the show, with the food and nutrition industry increasingly taking heed of this pressing issue. DSM, with its unique science-based competences, is ideally positioned to align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by enabling sustainable solutions for its customers and advocating sustainable business.
  

1. Consumer insights for products with purpose

Monitoring, evaluating and understanding consumer needs is crucial for manufacturers to meet the demands of today’s well-informed and increasingly health-aware populations. As a long-term partner to its customers, DSM carries out extensive research to bring current and emerging trends to light. At this year’s Vitafoods Europe, DSM presented the results of two new surveys that interviewed over 25,000 consumers. Together with DSM’s science-backed customized solutions and scientific expertise, the new data will help support customers in bringing innovative products, inspired by consumers’ needs, to the marketplace.

The DSM Global Health Concerns study 2019, a follow-up of DSM’s 2017 study, interviewed 17,000+ consumers across 23 countries and was conducted to identify current health concerns and to quantify awareness and attitudes towards dietary supplement usage. Data from this year’s survey shows that energy levels/tiredness is among the biggest issues worrying people around the world. It replaced weight as the number one health concern for consumers in EMEA (67%), compared to DSM’s previous study, and was followed by protection against disease later in life (64%) and eye health (62%). In addition, data shows that there is a significant increase in usage in the EMEA region compared to previous research (37% in 2019 vs 28% in 2017), with products primarily taken to boost health in general (56%), improve the immune system (46%) and increase energy levels (41%).

Meanwhile, the aim of the DSM Naturalness Research study 2019, which interviewed 8,000 consumers from 16 countries worldwide, was to discover what consumers think about naturalness in the context of purchasing food, beverage and dietary supplement products. Results from the study reveal that over 80% of the global population strongly agrees with the statement: ‘natural products are better for me’. In addition, 40% of those interviewed consider that “naturalness” is important when buying a dietary supplement.

Inspired by the findings of these new insights, DSM developed a range of new consumer-driven and customizable premixes with botanicals for the show. The prototypes included ‘Energy Booster’ – an effervescent tablet for energy containing carnitine, taurine, caffeine and guarana – and ‘Young@Heart’ – an effervescent tablet for complete heart health for the maintenance of normal blood flow, blood pressure and cholesterol, containing Fruitflow®, potassium and garlic.

2. Personalized nutrition is here to stay

Consumers are increasingly taking a proactive approach towards their own health and wellbeing, and the nutrition industry is experiencing growing demand for targeted nutritional solutions that promote healthier lives. Collaboration between forward-thinking scientific, application and market experts can support the development of truly innovative products and services that can be tailored to individual consumer health needs and preferences. At Vitafoods Europe, DSM’s partners, personalized nutrition company Mixfit Inc. (Mixfit) and digital health provider Panaceutics, joined DSM on booth to talk about their unique service offerings and how they meet the growing need for personalized nutrition solutions, while presenting devices that allowed visitors to measure their individual health.

DSM is a strategic partner and the largest shareholder of Mixfit. The partnership combines DSM’s unparalleled expertise in essential micronutrients with the Mixfit technological ability to analyze health data in real-time, address nutritional gaps in an effective way and support a healthy lifestyle. Meanwhile, the collaboration between DSM and Panaceutics will see DSM exclusively market and sell Panaceutics personalized nutrition products in multiple markets across Europe, the Americas and Asia. As one of the only systems in the world that allows cost-effective and scalable manufacturing of individual formulations, Panaceutics uses patented technologies to combine digital data on daily habits, genomics and biomarkers. This then drives its on-demand robotic manufacturing platform to make an individual’s blended formula, delivered in a ready-to-consume, shelf-stable packaged product.

3. Setting the scene for a more sustainable future

Another key takeaway from this year’s Vitafoods Europe is the industry’s growing commitment to creating a more sustainable supply chain. With consumers more environmentally-conscious than ever before, ensuring that products and services are sustainable is no longer a differentiator but an expectation. Looking ahead, it will be key for manufacturers to take current and emerging market trends into account to meet the evolving demands of the planet and people worldwide. As such, nutritional solutions supporting healthier lifestyles and helping to prevent the onset of disease that are produced from sustainable, natural ingredients are likely to lead the market over the next 12 months.

DSM’s outlook and operations are very much aligned with the UN’s SDGs, and Fortune Magazine included DSM in its 2018 Fortune Change the World list. The annual report highlights the growing number of companies that are now rising to the occasion to address global challenges and are doing so in a way that creates value for business, the people and the planet. Building on its mission to deliver sustainably sourced and produced ingredients, DSM launched at the show its highly potent life’sDHA™ S24-P100 ingredient, made from a natural and sustainable algal oil source, and its animal-free Quali®-A forms for the dietary supplements market to meet the growing demand for vegetarian and vegan products.