Tim Wright09.01.05
Gone are the days when consumers were left with little choice but to shove a handful of pills down their throats in order to supplement their diets. Spawned in part by "pill fatigue" and the desire of companies to differentiate themselves from competition and create space in a crowded market, nutraceutical delivery systems have evolved beyond tablets and capsules to include newer modes of delivery, including soft chews, chewing gum, gummy bears, patches, lollipops and quick dissolving strips. In addition, other delivery systems, such as bars and ready-to-drink beverages are constantly progressing. Consumers have a plethora of choices when considering how to take their nutraceuticals, however, these newer modes of delivery face some stiff challenges moving forward
Today's savvy consumers are not easy to please. The number of delivery systems that have evolved over the last few years is not only an indication of this, but also a reflection of just how complicated consumers can be. For instance, children are interested in fun, pleasant-tasting foods; busy adults are looking more for convenience and ease of use; and the elderly continue to seek out other modes of delivery due to pill fatigue.
Consumers also have a tendency to choose a delivery format based on a health condition they are looking to prevent. The 2004 Health & Wellness Trends Report from the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), Harleysville, PA, tracked consumers' preference of supplements versus foods and beverages, according to health condition. The highest preference for use of supplements over foods and beverages for the prevention of health issues appeared to relate to aging consumers, especially in the areas of osteoporosis, arthritis/joint disease, vision problems and menopausal issues. On the other side of the spectrum, consumers favored foods when it came to the prevention of heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol.
In terms of the supplement category alone, the Health & Wellness Trends Report also tracked consumers' preference of supplement format. In the survey, a majority of respondents said they use capsules, tablets and soft gels most of the time. Consumers' then preferred chewables, liquids, soft chews, ready-to-drink beverages, chewing gum, fast dissolve oral tablets and patches. Bringing up the rear were quick dissolve strips, lozenges, oral sprays, powders and fizzing tablets (see Figure 1).
At this stage, consumers are opting for tablets and capsules more often than newer delivery formats, however, they are showing increasing interest in new delivery modes, according to NMI data comparing 2003 to 2004. In 2003, 13% of consumers favored chewable supplements compared to 28% in 2004; 7% favored chewing gum in 2003 compared to 13% in 2004; 6% favored oral spray in 2003 compared to 9% in 2004; 9% favored a patch in 2003 compared to 11% in 2004; 7% favored a lozenge in 2003 compared to 9% in 2004; and lastly, 6% favored a quick dissolve strip in 2003 compared to 9% in 2004.
Trends in nutraceutical delivery systems are focusing on ease of use and convenience for consumers who are constantly looking for fresh new ways to take their supplements. "Consumers are moving more toward delivery systems that can be easily incorporated into their lifestyles, which is probably why functional foods is a larger category than dietary supplements," said Barbara Apps, director of marketing, The Coromega Company, Vista, CA, manufacturers of an emulsified fish oil. "If they can get their nutrition in foods they already eat or enjoy eating, then it's easier and much more convenient for them. We're starting to see dietary supplements move into more 'food-like' delivery forms, such as pudding-like squeeze packets for omega 3 fish oil, joint juice for glucosamine and calcium in chocolate chews, among many other examples."
Dr. Ram Chaudhari, senior executive vice president of research and development for premix supplier Fortitech, Schenectady, NY, said that while tablets and capsules will always be a permanent fixture of the nutraceutical industry, they are not the industry's main focus right now. "The fortification of foods and beverages, particularly beverages, is the biggest area of growth with regard to nutraceutical delivery," he said. "Bone health, immune health and gut health are all being addressed increasingly through food delivery formats and more food products are incorporating omega 3 fatty acids and cholesterol-lowering phytosterols as well."
In general, it is the demographic of age rather than the economic, social or racial profile of consumers that affect their buying habits, according to Jim Studer, vice president of marketing and sales, Hero Nutritional Products, San Clemente, CA, makers of the Yummi Blast and Yummi Bears lines of children's supplements. "The younger demographics are more inclined to try new delivery systems and are always looking for the latest and greatest developments," he said. "The older groups tend to stay with what works for them, becoming somewhat 'delivery system loyal.'"
One of the biggest changes with regard to consumer attitudes over the past 10-15 years relates to the preponderance of alternatives in the market place, which has caused consumers to become less patient with products and brands that don't deliver meaningful, literal solutions, according to Neil Kozarsky, president and CEO, Momentus Solutions, Marlton, NJ, which recently introduced the Healthy Moments line of vitamin and mineral dissolvable strips. "Consumers want a product that delivers credible dosing," he said. "They also want it to taste good and be able to take it anywhere, anytime."
When Pfizer introduced Listerine breath strips to the market three years ago, they were a breakthrough for the "grab-and-go" generation. Now this novel technology has become one of the hottest delivery vehicles for dietary supplements. Besides portability, convenience, ease of use and taste, quick-dissolving film strips address a critical issue facing the supplement industry-many consumers, especially children and seniors, are unable to swallow pills.
In fact, Momentus Solutions' Mr. Kozarsky said that research conducted by his company indicates that roughly 40% of consumers display adverse reactions when swallowing pills and capsules. "There will always be a segment of the population that prefer tablets and capsules because it satisfies them and has become a ritualized behavior," he said. "However, there is a whole other segment of the population that is looking for alternatives due to swallowing issues. This is an important reason why this delivery form is being favored."
He continued, "Based upon our research, dissolvable strips have a wide appeal from the youngest to the oldest consumers. Although there is a particular inclination to use the strips among children up to 12-14 years old, as well as seniors, because both age groups generally display more difficulty swallowing pills."
Film strips also offer the advantage of dissolving instantly in the mouth, thereby increasing the bioavailability and absorption rate of the active ingredients, says Mr. Kozarsky. "The instant dissolvability of the film strips is a key to their success," he said. "In the research we've done, consumers expect that one of the values they get from strips is that they're going to have a more immediate effect. We're inclined to believe this is correct but before we can make any specific claims we need to validate and measure our research more extensively, which is what we're in the process of doing."
According to Marie Garnich, vice president, Global Business Development and Sales, Film Technology Division, Watson Foods Company, Inc., West Haven, CT, film strips are an exciting alternative delivery system to traditional tablets and capsules, and are a great way to energize an existing brand. However, she also pointed out the limitations to using film strips as a delivery vehicle for nutraceutical ingredients. "The dose of active that can be included in the strip is limited compared to other modes of delivery like tablets and capsules. A typical film strip weighs 40-80 mg and can contain no more than 30% active," she said. "For this reason, the most important consideration for this delivery system is that it needs to make sense for the active it is trying to deliver." For example, she said it would not be reasonable to formulate a high dose ingredient in a film strip. "An 80 mg film strip can carry 24 mg of active," she said. "Trying to deliver a daily dose of calcium using this method would be difficult. Film strips are a logical choice for low-dose vitamins, minerals and herbal ingredients."
Addressing other important issues, Ms. Garnich offered, "The film formula needs to taste good and have a pleasant mouthfeel. In addition, packaging the film is also a critical component of the delivery system. Poor packaging causes the film to fail. Some of the problems that can be associated with films as a result of poor packaging include blockage, which happens when several film strips stick together in the cassette, curling of the film, and cracking of the film caused by loss of moisture."
As consumers become more time-stretched, they are snacking more often versus eating full meals. This has increased demand for more convenient, healthier snacking items. Due to advances in food science and flavor technology, health food manufacturers have recognized the power of candy as a delivery vehicle, enabling them to satisfy consumer demand for nutrition and value delivered in great tasting, familiar products. The market has seen the launch of chewing gums that deliver an energy boost, lollipops containing ingredients to help fight colds and vitamin-packed fruit chews, among many others.
Functional confectionery represents one of the fastest growing segments of the nutraceuticals industry. In fact, Robert Boutin, executive vice president, Knechtel Research Sciences, Inc., Skokie, IL, consultants to the food and confectionery industries, said that the functional confectionery category is experiencing a growth rate of about 25% annually. Compared to the candy industry, which he said is growing at a rate of roughly 3-5% annually, the functional confectionery category is wide open and ripe for innovation. As companies take some of the guilt out of guilty pleasures, it looks as though consumers are getting their wish to have their cake and eat it too.
Mr. Boutin said that the trend in functional confectionery is moving toward fast delivery systems. "When you swallow an active, it inherently has to pass through the liver, and then when it gets in the stomach it is exposed to damaging digestive enzymes and body acids, which decompose it and break it down pretty quickly. There is a better chance for it to become available to the system if it can be absorbed through the mucosa and absorbed into the blood very quickly," he said. "For this reason we've been doing a lot of work with lollipop delivery systems, which dissolve in one's mouth and allows for quick, immediate release. In addition, the lollipop allows a consumer to suck until the desire or event has passed, and then the lollipop can be taken away and saved for a follow-up use. This type of application could be good for things like appetite suppression and pain sedation."
Steve Schuster, co-owner, Schuster Marketing, Milwaukee, WI, makers of Blitz Energy Gum, discussed the advantages of using gum as a delivery vehicle. "We chose to deliver our product via a new process in which we compress a powdered chewing gum base into a compressed tablet of chewing gum. There is no heat or moisture involved in this process, therefore the product retains a high level of efficacy," he said. "Our gum is absorbed during chewing in the buccal mucosa at a rate five times faster than capsules, pills or beverages. This was tested and proven in studies conducted by military scientists, who subsequently had them published in the Journal of Pharmaceutics."
Discussing some of the taste challenges of working with newer delivery formats was Udi Alroy, marketing director at Israel-based Biodar, developers of the recently introduced Chew&Eat line of taste-masked vitamins and minerals. "Supplement and confectionery manufacturers face barriers in developing chewable tablets, candies and gums enriched with minerals due to the metallic taste of the nutrients," he said. "Most often high sugar contents are used to mask the taste of minerals in such products, however consumer concern about high sugar consumption amongst children encouraged us to develop Chew&Eat without adding sugar."
Although the future looks bright for this new generation of nutraceutical delivery systems, they have a long way to go before proving they are viable, long-term options for consumers.
One factor is cost, which is always an important issue. Momentus Solutions' Mr. Kozarsky commented, "There is no doubt that these exotic delivery systems are more expensive than traditional tablets and capsules. This is because there are more quality control factors that need to be addressed." He pointed out that while consumers may pay a 5-25% premium for these products, the extra cost is justified for consumers who were not able to previously supplement their diets at all when tablets and capsules were their only option.
Another major issue going forward is merchandising, according to Schuster Marketing's Mr. Schuster. "The question that needs to be asked is, where does the product get merchandised? Should it be placed amongst traditional confectionery products, or does it get merchandised in the HBC (health/beauty/cosmetics) category, for example? Merchandise managers have not yet defined this situation clearly," he said.
Before they can stand the test of time, all of these newer delivery systems have to be put through the rigors of testing to prove their effectiveness in a clinical setting, according to Knechtel's Mr. Boutin. "Bioavailability and stability issues are normally examined when you look at a new delivery system or platform," he said. "This factor is what probably delays a lot of products from coming out into the marketplace faster and also raises the prices significantly. A simple study could cost millions of dollars and take a long period of time."
Addressing the future of nutraceutical delivery, Mr. Boutin asked rhetorically, "Are we going to eliminate tablets or capsules?"
"Never," he answered. "There will always be a place for tablets and capsules in the market. However, some of these newer delivery vehicles are looking better and brighter, as they're more user friendly in terms of palatability and in some cases enhance the bioavailability or efficacy of the active being delivered." He added, "So in instances where applicable and practical, these other systems are beginning to shine. There is no reason why this market should not continue to evolve and move forward so long as the products that are introduced are efficacious and rooted in quality, not marketing gimmicks."NW
What are Consumers Looking For?
Today's savvy consumers are not easy to please. The number of delivery systems that have evolved over the last few years is not only an indication of this, but also a reflection of just how complicated consumers can be. For instance, children are interested in fun, pleasant-tasting foods; busy adults are looking more for convenience and ease of use; and the elderly continue to seek out other modes of delivery due to pill fatigue.
Consumers also have a tendency to choose a delivery format based on a health condition they are looking to prevent. The 2004 Health & Wellness Trends Report from the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), Harleysville, PA, tracked consumers' preference of supplements versus foods and beverages, according to health condition. The highest preference for use of supplements over foods and beverages for the prevention of health issues appeared to relate to aging consumers, especially in the areas of osteoporosis, arthritis/joint disease, vision problems and menopausal issues. On the other side of the spectrum, consumers favored foods when it came to the prevention of heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol.
In terms of the supplement category alone, the Health & Wellness Trends Report also tracked consumers' preference of supplement format. In the survey, a majority of respondents said they use capsules, tablets and soft gels most of the time. Consumers' then preferred chewables, liquids, soft chews, ready-to-drink beverages, chewing gum, fast dissolve oral tablets and patches. Bringing up the rear were quick dissolve strips, lozenges, oral sprays, powders and fizzing tablets (see Figure 1).
At this stage, consumers are opting for tablets and capsules more often than newer delivery formats, however, they are showing increasing interest in new delivery modes, according to NMI data comparing 2003 to 2004. In 2003, 13% of consumers favored chewable supplements compared to 28% in 2004; 7% favored chewing gum in 2003 compared to 13% in 2004; 6% favored oral spray in 2003 compared to 9% in 2004; 9% favored a patch in 2003 compared to 11% in 2004; 7% favored a lozenge in 2003 compared to 9% in 2004; and lastly, 6% favored a quick dissolve strip in 2003 compared to 9% in 2004.
Shifting Attitudes & Behaviors
Trends in nutraceutical delivery systems are focusing on ease of use and convenience for consumers who are constantly looking for fresh new ways to take their supplements. "Consumers are moving more toward delivery systems that can be easily incorporated into their lifestyles, which is probably why functional foods is a larger category than dietary supplements," said Barbara Apps, director of marketing, The Coromega Company, Vista, CA, manufacturers of an emulsified fish oil. "If they can get their nutrition in foods they already eat or enjoy eating, then it's easier and much more convenient for them. We're starting to see dietary supplements move into more 'food-like' delivery forms, such as pudding-like squeeze packets for omega 3 fish oil, joint juice for glucosamine and calcium in chocolate chews, among many other examples."
Dr. Ram Chaudhari, senior executive vice president of research and development for premix supplier Fortitech, Schenectady, NY, said that while tablets and capsules will always be a permanent fixture of the nutraceutical industry, they are not the industry's main focus right now. "The fortification of foods and beverages, particularly beverages, is the biggest area of growth with regard to nutraceutical delivery," he said. "Bone health, immune health and gut health are all being addressed increasingly through food delivery formats and more food products are incorporating omega 3 fatty acids and cholesterol-lowering phytosterols as well."
In general, it is the demographic of age rather than the economic, social or racial profile of consumers that affect their buying habits, according to Jim Studer, vice president of marketing and sales, Hero Nutritional Products, San Clemente, CA, makers of the Yummi Blast and Yummi Bears lines of children's supplements. "The younger demographics are more inclined to try new delivery systems and are always looking for the latest and greatest developments," he said. "The older groups tend to stay with what works for them, becoming somewhat 'delivery system loyal.'"
One of the biggest changes with regard to consumer attitudes over the past 10-15 years relates to the preponderance of alternatives in the market place, which has caused consumers to become less patient with products and brands that don't deliver meaningful, literal solutions, according to Neil Kozarsky, president and CEO, Momentus Solutions, Marlton, NJ, which recently introduced the Healthy Moments line of vitamin and mineral dissolvable strips. "Consumers want a product that delivers credible dosing," he said. "They also want it to taste good and be able to take it anywhere, anytime."
Quick-Dissolving Strips
When Pfizer introduced Listerine breath strips to the market three years ago, they were a breakthrough for the "grab-and-go" generation. Now this novel technology has become one of the hottest delivery vehicles for dietary supplements. Besides portability, convenience, ease of use and taste, quick-dissolving film strips address a critical issue facing the supplement industry-many consumers, especially children and seniors, are unable to swallow pills.
In fact, Momentus Solutions' Mr. Kozarsky said that research conducted by his company indicates that roughly 40% of consumers display adverse reactions when swallowing pills and capsules. "There will always be a segment of the population that prefer tablets and capsules because it satisfies them and has become a ritualized behavior," he said. "However, there is a whole other segment of the population that is looking for alternatives due to swallowing issues. This is an important reason why this delivery form is being favored."
He continued, "Based upon our research, dissolvable strips have a wide appeal from the youngest to the oldest consumers. Although there is a particular inclination to use the strips among children up to 12-14 years old, as well as seniors, because both age groups generally display more difficulty swallowing pills."
Film strips also offer the advantage of dissolving instantly in the mouth, thereby increasing the bioavailability and absorption rate of the active ingredients, says Mr. Kozarsky. "The instant dissolvability of the film strips is a key to their success," he said. "In the research we've done, consumers expect that one of the values they get from strips is that they're going to have a more immediate effect. We're inclined to believe this is correct but before we can make any specific claims we need to validate and measure our research more extensively, which is what we're in the process of doing."
According to Marie Garnich, vice president, Global Business Development and Sales, Film Technology Division, Watson Foods Company, Inc., West Haven, CT, film strips are an exciting alternative delivery system to traditional tablets and capsules, and are a great way to energize an existing brand. However, she also pointed out the limitations to using film strips as a delivery vehicle for nutraceutical ingredients. "The dose of active that can be included in the strip is limited compared to other modes of delivery like tablets and capsules. A typical film strip weighs 40-80 mg and can contain no more than 30% active," she said. "For this reason, the most important consideration for this delivery system is that it needs to make sense for the active it is trying to deliver." For example, she said it would not be reasonable to formulate a high dose ingredient in a film strip. "An 80 mg film strip can carry 24 mg of active," she said. "Trying to deliver a daily dose of calcium using this method would be difficult. Film strips are a logical choice for low-dose vitamins, minerals and herbal ingredients."
Addressing other important issues, Ms. Garnich offered, "The film formula needs to taste good and have a pleasant mouthfeel. In addition, packaging the film is also a critical component of the delivery system. Poor packaging causes the film to fail. Some of the problems that can be associated with films as a result of poor packaging include blockage, which happens when several film strips stick together in the cassette, curling of the film, and cracking of the film caused by loss of moisture."
Sweet News for Sweet Teeth
As consumers become more time-stretched, they are snacking more often versus eating full meals. This has increased demand for more convenient, healthier snacking items. Due to advances in food science and flavor technology, health food manufacturers have recognized the power of candy as a delivery vehicle, enabling them to satisfy consumer demand for nutrition and value delivered in great tasting, familiar products. The market has seen the launch of chewing gums that deliver an energy boost, lollipops containing ingredients to help fight colds and vitamin-packed fruit chews, among many others.
Functional confectionery represents one of the fastest growing segments of the nutraceuticals industry. In fact, Robert Boutin, executive vice president, Knechtel Research Sciences, Inc., Skokie, IL, consultants to the food and confectionery industries, said that the functional confectionery category is experiencing a growth rate of about 25% annually. Compared to the candy industry, which he said is growing at a rate of roughly 3-5% annually, the functional confectionery category is wide open and ripe for innovation. As companies take some of the guilt out of guilty pleasures, it looks as though consumers are getting their wish to have their cake and eat it too.
Mr. Boutin said that the trend in functional confectionery is moving toward fast delivery systems. "When you swallow an active, it inherently has to pass through the liver, and then when it gets in the stomach it is exposed to damaging digestive enzymes and body acids, which decompose it and break it down pretty quickly. There is a better chance for it to become available to the system if it can be absorbed through the mucosa and absorbed into the blood very quickly," he said. "For this reason we've been doing a lot of work with lollipop delivery systems, which dissolve in one's mouth and allows for quick, immediate release. In addition, the lollipop allows a consumer to suck until the desire or event has passed, and then the lollipop can be taken away and saved for a follow-up use. This type of application could be good for things like appetite suppression and pain sedation."
Steve Schuster, co-owner, Schuster Marketing, Milwaukee, WI, makers of Blitz Energy Gum, discussed the advantages of using gum as a delivery vehicle. "We chose to deliver our product via a new process in which we compress a powdered chewing gum base into a compressed tablet of chewing gum. There is no heat or moisture involved in this process, therefore the product retains a high level of efficacy," he said. "Our gum is absorbed during chewing in the buccal mucosa at a rate five times faster than capsules, pills or beverages. This was tested and proven in studies conducted by military scientists, who subsequently had them published in the Journal of Pharmaceutics."
Discussing some of the taste challenges of working with newer delivery formats was Udi Alroy, marketing director at Israel-based Biodar, developers of the recently introduced Chew&Eat line of taste-masked vitamins and minerals. "Supplement and confectionery manufacturers face barriers in developing chewable tablets, candies and gums enriched with minerals due to the metallic taste of the nutrients," he said. "Most often high sugar contents are used to mask the taste of minerals in such products, however consumer concern about high sugar consumption amongst children encouraged us to develop Chew&Eat without adding sugar."
An Uncertain Future
Although the future looks bright for this new generation of nutraceutical delivery systems, they have a long way to go before proving they are viable, long-term options for consumers.
One factor is cost, which is always an important issue. Momentus Solutions' Mr. Kozarsky commented, "There is no doubt that these exotic delivery systems are more expensive than traditional tablets and capsules. This is because there are more quality control factors that need to be addressed." He pointed out that while consumers may pay a 5-25% premium for these products, the extra cost is justified for consumers who were not able to previously supplement their diets at all when tablets and capsules were their only option.
Another major issue going forward is merchandising, according to Schuster Marketing's Mr. Schuster. "The question that needs to be asked is, where does the product get merchandised? Should it be placed amongst traditional confectionery products, or does it get merchandised in the HBC (health/beauty/cosmetics) category, for example? Merchandise managers have not yet defined this situation clearly," he said.
Before they can stand the test of time, all of these newer delivery systems have to be put through the rigors of testing to prove their effectiveness in a clinical setting, according to Knechtel's Mr. Boutin. "Bioavailability and stability issues are normally examined when you look at a new delivery system or platform," he said. "This factor is what probably delays a lot of products from coming out into the marketplace faster and also raises the prices significantly. A simple study could cost millions of dollars and take a long period of time."
Addressing the future of nutraceutical delivery, Mr. Boutin asked rhetorically, "Are we going to eliminate tablets or capsules?"
"Never," he answered. "There will always be a place for tablets and capsules in the market. However, some of these newer delivery vehicles are looking better and brighter, as they're more user friendly in terms of palatability and in some cases enhance the bioavailability or efficacy of the active being delivered." He added, "So in instances where applicable and practical, these other systems are beginning to shine. There is no reason why this market should not continue to evolve and move forward so long as the products that are introduced are efficacious and rooted in quality, not marketing gimmicks."NW