These days considering ‘health’ involves more than just thinking about nutrients and ingredients, and ‘better’ for the planet is more than thinking ‘organic’ and packaging. As Sharon Natoli from ‘Food and Drink Business’ points out, the way consumers define food as ‘healthy’ has shifted to wider perspectives – it’s no longer simply about nutrient content or ingredient adjustments, star ratings or ‘free-from’ claims. While these elements will continue to play a role, they are now joined by transparency, locality, storage conditions and seasonality. Evolved considerations in these respects are vital as the way forward for businesses looking for growth and relevance.
Increasing health and wellness focus post-pandemic continues to drive the food and beverage demand worldwide. It is the major driving factor for the prolific growth of the bone broth market. Many consumers are sold on the reasons for incorporating good old-fashioned bone broth into their diets. From a health and wellness perspective the following health benefits serve as clear evidence for its’ position as ‘good medicine’;
- It helps heal and seal the gut, and promotes healthy digestion
- The gelatin found in bone broth is a hydrophilic colloid – it attracts and holds liquids, including digestive juices, enabling it to support effective digestion.
- It reduces joint pain and inflammation due to the chondroitin sulfates, glucosamine, and other compounds extracted from the cartilage
- It promotes strong, healthy bones as it contains high amounts of calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients that play an important role in healthy bone development
- The gelatin promotes healthy hair and nail growth
Consumers’ move towards vegan and vegetarian food is the major restraining factor impacting the Bone broth market growth internationally.
If nutrition gaining in importance as consumers become increasingly discerning of the food they eat, natural positioning continues to gain favour. This is seeing consumer goals for holistic wellbeing on the rise, and bodes well for the beef bone broth market. There has been an increasing prevalence of products labelled ‘natural’ or ‘naturally healthy’ across both the cooking ingredients and meals categories from 2018 – 2022.
Trends are reflecting that nutritional benefits of meals must be supported by a more holistic positioning of wellness. Healthy food strategies in manufacturing are evolving in a such a way that products need to be aligned with other food beliefs and values like sustainability and the perceived benefits of ancient ingredients. Again, trends that bode well for the bone broth category.
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