Dairy’s Role in Stress Management

Featured article with Mintel.

Consumer attention to health and wellness is not a new phenomenon. However, COVID-19 and the challenges that have arisen with it have accelerated the focus on holistic wellbeing. People are more aware of how important staying physically and mentally healthy is in coping with the heightened stress and anxiety levels, especially in this new normal.

Across all ages and genders, brain health, mental wellbeing, stress management and reduction are growing priorities for consumers globally.

In the US, 45% of consumers are putting a higher priority on mental wellbeing. At the same time, the link between sleep, relaxation and stress has been recognised by consumers, with 43% of US adults attributing a lack of sleep to stress levels.

Consumers recognise the connection between nutrition and stress.

As part of the new holistic health paradigm, there has been a shift in consumer focus from treatment to prevention. More people are adopting lifestyle habits such as exercise and meditation and actively seek solutions for desired outcomes.

Backed by growing scientific evidence that diet is as important to mental wellbeing as it is to physical health, consumers turn to nutrition to support stress management and help improve sleep and concentration. In fact, 42% of people in the UK aged 25-34 would like their diet to improve their mood.

While busy modern lifestyles are often at odds with consumers’ aspirations to eat healthily, knowledge towards the benefits of balanced diets has grown. People are proactively seeking everyday nutrition solutions for their overall wellbeing, rather than conventional drugs and pills.

Several food categories have been proven to be beneficial to consumers’ mental health. Still, an area gaining interest is the relationship between dietary habits, the gut microbiome and brain function.

As consumer understanding towards this relationship grows, nutrient-rich ingredients that have been proven to positively impact the body’s gut-brain axis will be able to capture emerging demand.

Invest in products targeting stress management and cognitive performance

With stress management becoming a global focus, food and beverage manufacturers are in a unique position to capture consumer demand by tapping into their needs around cognitive performance and mood enhancement.

In Mintel’s opinion, dairy foods and beverages can be positioned as functional solutions not only for physical but also all facets of cognitive wellness throughout the lifespan.

Cognitive wellness has been under-explored in the global dairy category, with functional claims appearing on less than 12% of product launches, according to Mintel’s Global New Products Database. 

Furthermore, less than 1% are carrying brain and nervous system-related claims. This is despite emerging scientific evidence showing certain dairy ingredients’ ability to improve mood and overall mental wellbeing.

Certain probiotics may help to manage some common mental wellness conditions.

Also, other components of dairy may support stress management in adults. Phospholipids are the fundamental building blocks in our brains, and they decline as we age, potentially impacting cognitive functions such as mental energy, focus and concentration. 

Digested dietary milk phospholipids can supplement this decline and have been shown to help manage the effects of stress by supporting mental performance to stay focused and positive³.

As its benefits become more widely known, Mintel believes dairy can be a differentiating point for brands targeting consumers’ desire for natural, science-backed ingredients that support mental wellness.

By highlighting such health benefit areas, the category will also be able to expand its target market and appeal to a larger audience. 

While existing products are aimed at adults to support healthy and active ageing, dairy companies could consider teenagers and working adults who may need additional help dealing with daily stress and to support brain development.

Snacking is shifting from “on-the-go” to “in-the-house”

The functional snack sector was one of the fastest-growing prior to COVID-19, and the resulting shift in consumer preferences observed over the past year is expected to continue to drive this upward trajectory.

The pandemic has disrupted consumer snacking habits, with at-home snacking enjoying a rapid increase in popularity and out-of-home occasions, including impulse and on-the-go consumption, diminishing from daily routines.

In addition to satiating hunger and cravings, consumers are now increasingly looking towards snacks to help them manage stress and its effects on their mental wellbeing.

Pre-COVID-19, snack bars were a popular option for consumers on-the-go. With life moving to the new normal, they continue to provide comfort, with 56% of snackers in the UK saying it gives them an opportunity to take a break from responsibilities.

While botanicals, vitamins, and minerals currently lead the healthy snacking segment, dairy ingredients have a role to play as people look for recognisable, trustworthy, science-backed, and efficient solutions that are clean label, healthy and indulgent.

Product formulations with a particular focus on mental wellness can incorporate dairy with ingredients such as lavender, chamomile, lemon balm and l-theanine as well as adaptogens.

However, there is an opportunity to innovate beyond traditional snack bars and yoghurts. Ice cream brands have recently sought to advertise fibre content in products and use probiotics to make gut health claims, making these snacks a more attractive option for all ages.

In addition, ready-to-drink (RTD) nutritional products can also provide additional benefits beyond weight management and nutrition.

This shows that the connection between stress, mood and sleep is present in consumers’ minds when they look for food and beverages that support their daily lives.

Looking ahead

As the world begins to move forward into a new normal, how consumers approach their health will evolve drastically and some trends are likely here to stay.

The next frontier in food will be anchored in enabling cognitive wellness through natural and scientifically backed solutions. In this setting, there is great potential for manufacturers and brands to build connections between functional ingredients such as dairy and brain health, mental performance, mood or relaxation by highlighting its innate nutrition profile. 

Specialty functional ingredients like probiotics and milk phospholipids can also play a more significant role in product formulations to capture emerging demand.

The article is based on insights and data provided by the world’s leading market intelligence firm Mintel. For more information, please visit www.mintel.com.

*as of March 2020 Base: UK: 1,883 internet users aged 16+ who ate snacks in the past two weeks; Poland & Spain: 2,000 internet users 16+ in each country; Canada: 1,970 internet users aged 18+ who consumed snacks in the past month.  Source: Lightspeed/Mintel

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the opinion of the author, not those of Fonterra, and Fonterra is not responsible for any decisions taken in reliance on the same.