FrieslandCampina will launch a range of high-protein sports nutrition products under its Vifit Sport brand – including protein drinks, shakes and bars.
The range ‘responds to the needs of active consumers’ and will aid with the recovery and development of muscle after exercise, the dairy company said. It claimed that demand was obvious, with 44% of consumers in the Netherlands alone using sports nutrition products – a third of them after having exercised.
It marks a step-change for the Amersfoort-headquartered business, which has previously concentrated on supplying ingredients for sports nutrition producers rather than manufacturing finished products for the protein market itself.
Royal FrieslandCampina CEO Roelof Joosten said: ‘Our product developers have developed products that respond to the needs of a growing group of active sportspersons by making use of our knowledge about the nutritional value of dairy for the build-up and recovery of muscles.
“With this sports nutrition, we aim at all sportspersons. Therefore the products are available online as well as at a large pharmacy chain. We explicitly aim at all sportspersons with a goal, from amateurs to top athletes. With this we break the idea that sports nutrition is only relevant to bodybuilders and top athletes.”
Gunilla Boomsma, a former Dutch champion cross-country runner and now a sports dietician, explained: “Nutrition plays an important role in recovery after intensive exercise. Not only replenishment of fluid and carbohydrates but also the intake of sufficient proteins are important, for this ensures recovery of the incurred damage to the muscles. By eating protein-rich products immediately after exercising, the small tears in the muscles resulting from the exercise will be repaired.”
Research suggests that, for optimum support of the muscles, it is good to take 20g of protein within 30 minutes of intensive training. Every portion of Vifit Sport contains 20g of protein, so the recommended quantity of protein can be taken after exercise.
Vifit Sport will initially be introduced into the Dutch market, followed by the rest of Europe. Over 40% of Europeans – or 200 million in total – currently play sport on a regular basis, FrieslandCampina estimated. It is this market that it will look to exploit with the three new products – a protein drink, shake and bar – which are all available in various flavours including banana and honey for the recovery drink, cranberry for the recovery bar, and mango-passionfruit for the protein shake mix.
FrieslandCampina already produces milk-based ingredients for sports nutrition producers. It developed protein powders exclusively for the Dutch Olympic athletics team in 2016.
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