Opportunities in Nutritional Management: Food and drinks to aid disease recovery

Against a background of increasing commercial pressures, the need to find new markets and exploit them has never been greater. At the same time changes in prevailing healthcare thinking with respect to the role of nutrition means that better nutritional care of patients is increasingly on the agenda of governments and healthcare professionals alike. Add to that the rise in diseases (often associated with aging populations) that can be managed effectively with better nutrition and a burgeoning market segment is being created. At present this area is not well addressed; clinical nutrition products tend to focus on enteral feeding and functional foods neither target this area presently nor are their benefits specific enough to allow them to do so. But regulatory guidelines are encouraging healthcare professionals to close the gap that exists between the recognition that improved nutrition can aid disease management and recovery and actual practice. Increasingly this means that they can be marketed to with products that help in this goal. This report breaks new ground in that it is the first to identify and size what is set to be a growth area and the first to establish what the crucial steps to developing successful marketing strategies in this area will be. Not only does the report provide unique analysis on what the patient audience for nutritional management products is both now and in the future, it also identifies what the latest research on the role of ingredients and products are and sets out clear steps for companies to further develop research and marketing plans if they seek to target this area.