Aimia Foods, the independent supplier of hot and cold beverages, has announced findings from a report focusing on the growth of the sport and health drinks market over the next year. In a market worth £200 million in the UK, which is seeing a 15 per cent increase in sales year on year, the new research is driving new product development for the North-West based manufacturer.
The study, by AC Nielsen, showed that drinks which provide obvious health benefits and are convenient to consume on-the-go are in demand. The current market trends confirm that when a product can offer one or both of the health/ convenience elements, such as no artificial colours or flavours combined with a handy sports cap, it is more likely to succeed. Indeed, 69 per cent* of consumers believe that health is the most important factor when purchasing a drink for on-the-go consumption.
Need to focus
According to the research, as the soft drinks market continues to expand, operators will need to focus even more on the healthy living trend. Creating a product which is formulated using more natural ingredients is essential; the removal of perceived ‘bad’ ingredients is just one aspect of this process and flavour delivery is also essential.
Neal Haworth, Soft Drinks Category Marketing Manager at Aimia Foods, says: “There has been a significant rise in demand for healthier drinks across the soft drinks sector. This is due to increased consumer knowledge and an ever growing concern surrounding additives and the associated health risks. We have produced our new hypotonic sports drink, Slazenger S1, to meet these exacting consumer needs.”
Slazenger S1 is available in orange and mixed berry variants, which contain no artificial colours or flavours. The 500ml sports drink has been formulated to help the body replace lost salts and fluids up to 40 per cent faster than isotonic products.
According to Aimia there will be continued growth within the functional drinks category – sports, energy and elixirs – and juice based product sectors in 2008/2009 due to consumer demand for products of a healthier nature.
*Nielsen Health and Wellbeing Report.
http://www.aimiafoods.co.uk/
