Esther Renfrew, dairy market intelligence manager at Zenith, explained that: “Ready-to-drink protein beverages have benefited from a number of factors, including technological advances and changes in lifestyle as well as improvements in the taste and texture of products.”
Zenith’s 2009 report on Global RTD Protein Beverages examines why protein is important to human health and how supplementary protein can be beneficial. The advantages of supplementary protein have been accepted for some time in the bodybuilding community, but recent studies have indicated that a protein-rich diet can work for a number of different groups. For instance, protein has been found to affect satiety, enabling companies to target weight management.
The Zenith report finds that the main challenges faced by companies include public scepticism of the science and claims, alongside strong competition in a congested functional drinks market. To succeed, businesses must not only create a tasty product, they must also ensure it’s backed up by scientific evidence and demonstrably fulfils any claims made.
The 2009 Global RTD Protein Beverages report also finds that:
The transformation from niche to mass market has certainly begun, but there’s still unsatisfied potential. The entry of a major player with global distribution and sizeable marketing budgets would help to educate consumers more about the benefits of protein and take the segment to the next level.
Source: Zenith International
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