Activating active nutrition with advanced nutritional tactics – article

For many folks who cut their teeth working out in the early 2000s, “no pain, no gain” was the mantra. But as the concept of exercise has evolved toward broader activities and lifestyle choices for a wide range of active consumers, it took the sports nutrition movement along with it.

And like many health and wellness categories, these ideas continue to evolve. In the recently published 2024 Sports Nutrition and Weight Management Report from Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ)¹, the editors pondered how much sports really drives the category these days, noting that “nutritional convenience” may now be just as important.

No matter how you think about it, the category is thriving. NBJ reported that the sports nutrition segment makes up the lion’s share ($62 billion) of the overall $70 billion sports nutrition and weight management category with growth in the low double digits expected through 2027.

While this is good news, the more salient point may be that the segment continues to evolve and expand, which has both implications and opportunities for product formulators and brands.

“Not so long ago, the category had a singular focus on sports nutrition, with weightlifters and endurance athletes as the primary target,” said Jenna Nelson, associate marketing manager for health and nutrition at Cargill. “Now we talk about active nutrition encompassing a broad swath of consumers looking to improve their overall health and wellness.”

“There are still high-performance athletes looking for an edge,” added Cargill Food Scientist Devon McDonald. “But there are also weekend warriors and consumers who just want to lean into wellness. The finished products for these two very different groups might be comprised of similar ingredients — but how they are marketed and the nuances in their formulations allow for differentiation.”

Fundamentally, consumers are taking a more holistic, proactive, preventive and personal approach to their health. This means the products they choose and how they use them are quite nuanced, even for sports performance.

As the segment reached mainstream appeal, it has sparked a blurring of the lines between categories, said Tristan Lipkie, Ph.D., technical business development manager for Cargill. For example, he noted high protein granola bars. “Are they snacks or are consumers using them to refuel after a workout? The lines aren’t always clear.”

As consumer preferences change, their preferred formats have too. The sports nutrition space now goes well beyond powders and sports drinks to include shakes, bars, gummies and other snacks, all vying for their share of the market.

There is much more personalization now, according to McDonald. “More than just pre- and post-workout options, now we have active nutrition products that aim to support specific benefits like better sleep or to target distinct demographic groups like women. Sometimes, they’ll do both. Consumers are looking for products that match their lifestyle; savvy brands are delivering.”

What’s in a claim?

These changes are illustrated in Cargill’s proprietary ClaimTracker Data, which assessed purchase impact of nearly 80 on-pack claims across food and beverage categories and included a focus on purchasers of sports drinks and health/nutrition ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages and powders. The data affirmed the power of protein but also included claims regarding sweeteners and function. ‘Good source of protein’ remained the most impactful claim among health/nutrition beverages and powders.

Sweetener claims also have impact for consumers of these products, especially those related to sugar content.

Functional benefits around immunity, heart health and digestive support are also important for health-and-nutrition-focused beverages and powders, the Cargill data reported, while sports drink consumers were drawn to claims about athletic performance and recovery.

Solving formulation challenges

For brands this means competition is fierce and differentiation is essential, which is prompting more diversification on the ingredient side. “Protein remains a key driver, but it’s not the only ‘hero’ ingredient or nutrient that delivers sales — and it’s certainly not a standalone,” Lipkie said.

Partnering with a supplier that brings deep resources, a broad portfolio and application expertise is critical. Cargill specializes in providing many resources to support customers at every point on their innovation journey, Nelson said. “That includes proprietary consumer insights, sensory testing capabilities, prototyping, piloting and more. For many customers, we serve as an extension of their R&D team.”

“We can partner with brands across applications with nearly all the supporting ingredients necessary to craft a great product,” Lipkie added. “Packing lots of protein or including the trendy functional ingredient isn’t enough — the finished product needs to taste great and be enjoyable to consume.”

“Cargill has all the individual ingredients — sweeteners, plant proteins, fats and oils, lecithins, hydrocolloids, texturizers, salts, cocoa and chocolate,” Lipkie said. “But the other big piece we bring is the ability to put it all together and solve formulation challenges holistically. A front-of-pack claim can drive a consumer to try a product once, but repeat purchase relies on it tasting good.”

Cargill brings expertise in ingredients to achieve these objectives. For example, with joint venture partner PURIS, Cargill helps brands meet the demand for more protein with its line of pea protein ingredients developed specifically for RTD beverage and powder applications. The line features enhanced solubility and a neutral flavor profile enabling brands to deliver 10, 20 or even 30 grams of protein per serving while still creating a great-tasting, creamy, indulgent product.

That said, high-protein products will have challenges with solubility and bitterness, Lipkie added, “so texturizers and sweeteners are key — whether it’s caloric sweeteners that provide energy and bulk, binders to maintain the right texture, emulsifiers to maintain stability and suspension of proteins in a beverage, or high-intensity sweeteners to make these nutrient-dense formulations taste great.”

To meet consumers’ sweetness expectations, Cargill offers a portfolio of zero-calorie, stevia-based sweeteners. The most advanced system, EverSweet^® stevia sweetener + ClearFlo^™ natural flavor, is a great fit for health-focused beverages and powders. It combines a great sweetness foundation with flavor-modifying properties, helping to mask the bitterness, metallic notes and similar attributes often associated with other ingredients in the formula.

A good example of a next-generation product that illustrates the intersection of indulgence and nutrition is Cargill’s prototype chocolate plant-protein smoothie, Nelson said. “It has 20 grams of protein in a single serving, but just 7 grams of sugar — both key deliverables for consumers. At the same time, it’s smooth, rich and chocolatey — and thanks to EverSweet + ClearFlo, there’s no bitterness or earthy notes.”

Cargill ingredients deliver important functional benefits, too. “Many active nutrition products require a specific carbohydrate mix,” noted McDonald. “For some, the goal is the fast energy you get through a combination of mono- and disaccharides and maltodextrins. But other products may aim to deliver sustained energy, which will require a different blend of ingredients.”

Cargill ingredients can also address consumer needs for heart health, digestive/gut health, electrolytes and hydration. The portfolio includes functional ingredients like nutritional lipids (including omega fatty acids, vitamin E and CoroWise^® plant sterols), fibers and potassium salt. Ultimately, sports nutrition is no longer a one-size-fits-all category and the future looks promising for semi-personalized products for specific demographics like women and seniors. “People want products geared to their demographics, their active lifestyles and their health priorities,” Nelson said. But brands must deliver. “Women’s health represents a big opportunity in the space, but brands need to do better than ‘pink and shrink’ packaging changes.”

“Plenty of consumers are taking a longer-term view,” added McDonald, “seeking products that support healthy aging. It will be interesting to see how brands innovate to meet that growing need.”

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