Putting Caffeine in Food?
Posted On October 23, 2008
According to this Food Industry Report, you should expect to see caffeine-spike foods and snacks appearing on your grocer’s shelves.
The brand, Morning Spark’s, for example, now produces a caffeine-fortified instant oatmeal in addition to their energy bars.
Even weirder, if that were possible, Dakota Valley Products manufactures natural, healthy seeds infused with caffeine, taurine, lysine, and ginseng. They say this provides twice the amount of energy as an energy drink without the added sugar.
According to one food industry spokesperson, “This trend shows that consumers may be distinguishing between somewhat unhealthy stimulants, which they desire, and high sugar content in drinks, which they do not.”
“Stimulants could be infused into many other foods – breakfast foods may be a particularly good candidate, including energy-giving cereals, breads and spreads.”
Who are they targeting for caffeine-spiked foods?
In 2003, 9 percent of adult respondents to a survey by Mintel had said they consume energy drinks; in 2008, that number had increased to 15 percent.
However, the consumer segment that revealed the most growth was teens. Mintel’s latest survey found that 35 percent of teenagers regularly consume energy drinks, up from 19 percent in 2003.
“Energy drinks have quickly become a daily beverage choice. As more Americans use energy drinks, we’ve seen a rise in products being launched with innovative new ingredients, claims and consumer targets,” according to one industry analysist.
(Visited 5 times, 1 visits today)
About The Author
