Nutrition-added foods

certainly, supplemented products aren't new. Salt has been iodized for years. Products ranging from cereal (Special K) to shampoo (Suave with aloe) have boasted wellness-oriented additions for varying degrees of time. Recently, though, the idea of formulating products to address health and wellness concerns has advanced both in the growing youth market, with alertness-building ginkgo bilboa going into teen-oriented drinks, for instance, and in the growing senior market, where ice cream made with non-sugar sweeteners has spread alongside concern about diabetes.

The actions of beverage makers have made them leaders in the trend of adding wellness-oriented supplements. Sobe's purchase by Pepsi and Odwalla's acquisition by Coca-Cola have broadened the impact of teen beverages. Additionally, refrigerated orange juice brands such as Tropicana and Coca-Cola's Minute Maid have expanded with vitamin D- and calcium-added products. More recently, supplemented juices entered the shelf-stable segment, as well.

And now, Minute Maid Premium Heartwise is rolling out. A refrigerated orange juice, Heartwise contains sterol, a plant extract that works against LDL cholesterol, and has clinical support for its claim to lower blood cholesterol. Given marketing power of the major beverage suppliers, Coke's introduction of Minute Maid Premium Heartwise should create more awareness of products that promise extra health benefits and boost the business in 2004.

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