Millennials, though young, still have vitamin deficiencies
Millennials tend to be lacking in certain nutrients, but their bank accounts may need boosts as well. Food companies, when marketing to the age group, should try to offer a quality product at the lowest price because many millennials worry about such financial issues as paying off educational loans, according to the report “Strategic Nutrition for Millennials” offered in two issues this year by Fortitech Premixes, a business of DSM.
“As younger adults, millennials generally enjoy good health and are not experiencing the health issues that are common in older generations,” the report said. “Despite this, surveys show that millennials, particularly women, can have poor diets and are at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.”
“Classic approaches to dietary enhancement with micronutrients include food enrichment and fortification as well as the use of dietary supplements,” the report said. “These product forms may be less desirable to millennials, who are more likely to value a whole foods approach to nutrition.”
Common nutrient inadequacies in millennials are fiber, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, iodine and the vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E and K. Food, beverage and supplement manufacturers can raise awareness about these nutrient inadequacies, according to the report. Nutrition for child-bearing is also important for millennials.
Watson, Inc., West Haven, Conn., addressed millennials in a June 10 blog post. About 74% of millennials are interested in transparency from food companies compared to 69% of total non-millennials, according to Mintel data cited by Watson. With about 75.4 million millennials in the United States, transparency in processing and practices for food products will be more important.
Gluten-free is another marketing opportunity. About 32% of millennials are willing to pay a premium for such products, according to Technavio, London. Watson offers VitaBoost10, a vitamin and mineral premix specifically formulated to complement gluten-free products.
Expertise in microencapsulation, agglomeration, micronizing, spray drying, and film technology allow Watson to develop formulations and products using Watson manufactured value-added ingredients. Alice Wilkinson, vice-president of nutritional innovation at Watson, will host a roundtable on custom nutrient premixes during the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting and food exposition July 16-19 in Chicago.
