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special
report
Health
& Wellness - To the Last Drop
Introduction
Starting Out in the Gym
To the Last Drop
Launching a weight-training program
Fitness Centers
A Healthy Self Image
Fit to Eat
The Path to Weight Control Bliss
Could Clinics be an Answer?
 Sports
beverages are not only helping the fitness fanatics. They are
becoming the drink of choice for health-conscious consumers,
too.
The contrasting
images are crystal clear. Lean Olympic athletes and obese fast
food restaurant diners; fitness clubs bursting with baby boomer
treadmill warriors and school cafeterias filled with oversized
teens munching snack chips.
The food and
beverage industry sees these contrasting themes as two sides of
a golden marketing equation: maintaining energy levels and
protecting muscle mass versus suppressing appetite and
controlling weight. For manufacturers from Milwaukee to Moscow,
the growing scientific research on nutrition, combined with
mounting consumer awareness of obesity health risks, present a
unique set of opportunities. The result is a deluge of
nutrient-packed products aimed at the global market for sports
enthusiasts, fitness addicts, seniors, teens and women. What the
new generation of food and beverage nutritional products share
are proteins.
Thus, as you
complete another set on the weight machine, you reach for an
energy drink to help you “power” up again. But this is not
because you are a fitness fanatic. Far from it. As more and more
consumers choose fitness over fatness, sports beverages are
becoming the most popular health drink in the U.S. A market
research analyst company, Packaged Facts, has predicted that
retail sales of sports nutritional products, including large
brands such as Gatorade and Redbull, will top $12.7 billion by
2011.
The sports drink
sector is being driven by the continued trend for wellness and
balanced eating among both the body builder and the baby boomer
generation. Sports beverages are leading the sector, followed by
bars, gels and supplements, which will grow at more modest
levels.
The new report:
Sports highlights how the sports beverage market has been
traditionally driven by activityamong the health-conscious
athlete. However, manufacturers are now focusing on a wider
target audience. More commonly known to focus on specific
performance needs, including strength and bodybuilding
supplements, fat burners/lean mass products, short-term energy
products, and long-term endurance products, manufacturers are
now showing a growing interest in the entire health and wellness
industry.
Capitalizing on the
growing consumer demand for food and nutritional products that
promote health benefits and an active lifestyle, the industry
has now geared up to benefit from this and is carving out a
broader category which involves products that now focus on not
only “physical” needs, but also “intellectual” needs.
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