Personalised nutrition emerges as popular trend

Personalised nutrition has emerged as a key trend within the food and drink industry, according to a survey by the organiser of Vitafoods Europe 2017.

Visitors to the show at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland, were asked what they saw as the three most important trends in the nutrition industry. For the short term (over the next 12 months) personalised nutrition was picked by one in five respondents (19%). However, when asked to think about the long term (the next three years) over a third (35%) identified it as an important trend.

The figures reflect the emergence of new possibilities such as individualised dietary guidelines, wearable technology and personalised nutrition based on genetic testing. Another hot topic for the future was nutrigenomics, which was seen as an important short term trend for 8% of respondents, but an important long term trend for twice as many (17%).

The health needs created by demographic trends such as population ageing and obesity continue to shape the agenda for much of the industry. Respondents were asked which three health benefit areas were most important to their companies. Healthy ageing, picked by one in four (23%), ranked top, followed by bone and joint health (22%), cardiovascular health (21%), general wellbeing (21%) and weight management (20%).

Chris Lee, portfolio director of Vitafoods Europe, explains, Part of the role of Vitafoods Europe is to help the industry prepare for challenges and opportunities approaching on the horizon. When it comes to personalised nutrition, our research suggests we’re at the start of the curve. Areas such as wearable technology and genetic testing for nutrition may seem niche now, but one day they’ll be the norm.”

The importance of both personalised nutrition and scientifically supported health claims is reflected in this year’s Vitafoods Education Programme, which runs alongside the trade show.

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