The Bord Bia Health and Wellbeing Consumer Lifestyle Trend has identified that 64% of global consumers actively take steps to look after their health whether they’re feeling ill or not, and 75% eat functional foods to improve their well-being. One area that could be of increasing concern for consumers is the effects of air pollution on their health.
Asian consumers have been taking measures to counteract pollution for some time. According to Mintel 83% of Chinese consumer use air masks, and 56% own air purifiers. However, they also predict that European consumers will begin to become more aware of these issues, particularly as the European Environment Agency has released alarming figures estimating that air pollution kills 400,000 people in Europe each year. Within the beauty industry, his trend has seen a move from East to West. GlobalData reports that the anti-pollution claims traditionally seen in the South Korean, Japanese and Chinese markets are now becoming more prominent within the European beauty industry.
Mintel has noted that there could be potential for food and drink producers to create products that help counteract the side effects of exposure to pollutants, as currently there are very few products making claims around lung health. Some recent studies have shown that micronutrients such as vitamin C and vitamin E may have a role to play, but more research is needed. There has also been an increase in products with assertions that they produced in a manner free from pollutants.
It seems that Asia will lead the way again in this area, as Stylus have recently reported that a new juice product is launching in China that promises to protect the lungs from damage caused by air pollution. The product contains a new ingredient derived from boysenberries that have been shown to reduce airway inflammation.
While there is still much research to be done around the potential benefits of food in fighting air pollution, companies should keep up to date with new developments as, unfortunately, this is a problem that won’t be going away and consumers will be looking for help from all sectors to combat potential ill effects.
For more information contact amy.bond@bordbia.ie
