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Special Delivery

by Kate Quackenbush | September 1, 2011

Continually introducing products that answer consumers’ needs, manufacturers push the innovation envelope with delivery methods as well as formulations.

According to SPINS scan data tracking of the natural channel (52 weeks ending June 11, 2011), the largest single delivery dollar sellers are capsules and tablets, accounting for $148.5 million and $130.5 million, respectively.But their growth (3.9 percent and 4.4 percent) has been hampered by increasing sales of powders ($129 million), liquids ($102 million) and soft gels ($101.5 million).

These strong and staple delivery methods represent just a fraction of what manufacturers are putting out in the market. As retailers sift through the ever-growing array of options, it’s about finding true innovations that meet consumers Needs and will bring repeat purchases.

Explaining the Value

Before retailers can enjoy the loyalty that comes from satisfied shoppers, they must first understand what sets products and delivery methods apart from others, and then effectively convey those attributes to their customers.

While the majority of customers shopping Cone’s Health Foods, a single store serving the Bakersfield, CA community since 1979, are loyal to conventional tablets or pills, Manager Trulaine Woken said she has never shied away from considering alternative delivery forms, even though they require more education.

“People make purchase decisions based on so many factors that it can be exciting, frustrating, thrilling or amusing to retailers … It all depends on the day,” said Woken. “Education is a big part of our job, so it doesn’t scare me. I would be concerned with price point and the perception of value. Choosing to carry products depends largely on the specifics of the product and the degree of improvement in absorption.”

Absorption is indeed key to Woken’s decision-making process, especially as she’s seen a new segment emerge with very specific concerns.

“The key customer looking for liquid or sublingual delivery is the bariatric weight-loss patient. With lap bands and Weight loss surgeries growing in popularity and availability, an increasing number of customers are seeking those delivery systems to obtain their core nutrients,” she said. “Additionally, there are always customers who have trouble swallowing. The more educated customer is always looking for sublingual options to enhance absorption of B12 specifically.”

To that end, customers are actively returning to Cone’s Health Foods as it has been a long-time carrier of Continental Vitamin Company, Inc.’s (CVC, Vernon, CA) Superior Source line; in particular, after trying the company’s No Shot B12 MicroLingual® Instant Release Soft-Molded tablets.

“[CVC] was one of the first companies to bring sublingual quick dissolve tablets to market. If a sublingual lozenge doesn’t dissolve quickly enough people either reject it or swallow it too soon, thereby defeating some of the purpose,” said Woken.“Superior Source Microlingual products have been solid sellers in our store for many years. Our customers love them because they dissolve quickly, taste good and are easy to take. But more important, they love how they feel when they take them, bringing them back for more.”

In 1999, CVC created a novel delivery that offered readily absorbable nutrients that eliminated conventional tablet and capsule concerns.Using Low Pressure Hydromolecular Technology, the company introduced Superior Source No Shot B12 as the first MicroLingual Instant Release Soft- Molded tablets, which features 1,000mcg of vitamin B12 (as cyanocobalamin).

What sets the delivery form apart, according to Matthew Supkoff, CVC’s director of sales and marketing, is that it Offers a different route of administration.
After dissolving fast in the mouth, the supplements are able to diffuse into the blood through tissues under the tongue.

“When a chemical comes in contact with the mucous membrane beneath the tongue, or buccal mucosa, it diffuses through it. Because the connective tissue beneath the epithelium contains a profusion of capillaries, the substance then diffuses into them and enters the venous circulation,” explained Supkoff.“In contrast, substances absorbed in the intestines are subject to ‘first pass metabolism’ in the liver before entering the general circulation.”

Today, CVC sells more than 100 dietary supplements in MicroLingual formulation, and has the vast range of products for each gender and all ages.But there are two areas in particular where CVC’s MicroLingual delivery system is beneficial: cognitive function and sleep support.

“Maintaining proper vitamin B12 levels is vital for preventing cognitive decline. Our No Shot B12 products are more efficient than conventional compressed tablets (when rapid nutrient availability is required) due to the instant dissolve MicroLingual technology,” said Supkoff. “Such is the case of CVC’s Slumber Helper and Melatonin.These products are more efficient as the instant dissolve technology makes the active ingredients immediately available.
This is highly advantageous, as time is of the essence when trying to get to sleep and rapid supplement availability is required.”

Tough to Swallow

Similar to Cone’s Health Foods, those frequenting Besty’s Health Food (Houston, TX) often opt for traditional pills or tablets. However, Marketing Director Ramona Billingslea said she is always open to new delivery methods, provided they deliver for her customers.

“Even if it is still a pill or tablet, products that are more bioavailable and/or effective are always at the top of our consideration list,” she said. “Personal experience has taught us that more bioavailable forms are popular with our customers. They give us their highest acclaim for these products—they come back to buy them again and again.”

But if a customer can’t get the supplement down, they’ll never know if it will work, so she’s grateful for innovations like the liquid delivery of calcium and magnesium in a way that “actually tastes good without feeling like she’s just swallowed chalk,” said Billingslea, adding that the store has also seen strong acceptance of New Chapter’s Bone Strength, which delivers a tablet form of calcium that is much smaller than the traditional approach and requires just three tablets daily.

Acknowledging that it’s not always the pill, tablet or capsule that puts customers off, rather the amount required, Source Naturals®/Planetary Herbals® (Scotts Valley, CA), as part of its SystemiCare model, introduced its Bio- Aligned™ formulas, formulations with potent bio-active nutrients that go deep to the root causes of health imbalances and become powerful tools for health and well-being.

Delivering optimal health potencies of scientifically validated nutrients is at the core of our formulation strategy,” said Julie Dennis, national science educator with Source Naturals/Planetary Herbals, adding that many of the company’s topselling Bio-Aligned formulas, such as Life Force® Multiple, deliver more than 68 vitamins, herbs and nutrients. “Getting all of those ingredients in as few pills as possible can be a challenge. To that end, we initially created our Bio-Aligned formulas in tablets. Recognizing that some customers have the need to take smaller pills, we also offer capsules with a higher suggested serving size of four or more.”

Dennis explained how the company continued to push this pill cut-back innovation. By using breakthrough supercritical fluid technology, Source Naturals ArcticPure® Omega-3 1125 Fish Oil provides a potent 1,125mg of omega-3s in a single, soft gel. “This scientifically advanced, low temperature/low pressure process ensures no damage is done to the molecular structure during oil separation, purification and concentration, and removes impurities, oxidation and rancidity,” she said. “This technology enables us to deliver much more potent and pure fish oils in a single soft gel, versus having to take two or three.”

Eliminating EFA Challenges

One of the biggest obstacles keeping consumers from getting their essential fatty acids (EFAs) has been taste.Barlean’s (Ferndale, WA) obliterated that complaint when it launched its Omega Swirls, creamy liquids that, according to Andreas Koch, marketing director, were “created for just about everyone—men, women, children, mass population, etc., apprehensive to take fish and flax oils.”

“The consumer demand for a tasty flax and fish oil has been upon the industry for years, but with no big solution Other than simply flavoring the oil until emulsified EFAs were brought to market,” said Koch, adding that the process of emulsifying fish and flax oil was very difficult because one is dealing with an oil soluble. “It’s easy to enhance flavoring and taste experiences with water-soluble products, but tackling oil is totally different.”

After more than three years of R&D, Barlean’s was able to crack the emulsifying code through proprietary processing And countless formulations. “Omega Swirls succeeded suspension testing with no separation, preserved its all natural taste and texture and, here’s the amazing part: it was all done without sugar,” said Koch. “Another challenge was nailing the flavor. This was done naturally with fruit extracts.”

In addition to offering a sweet taste, a clinical study conducted by The Centre for Nutritional Studies showed Barlean’s Omega Swirl was found to be 90 percent more bio-available than standard fish oil.

“In the study, the total percentage of oil that reached the bloodstream was 10 times greater with Omega Swirl than the same dose of fish oil. Theoretically, it could take up to 20 standard fish oil gel caps to equal the amount of omega-3 delivered to the bloodstream by just one, two-teaspoon dose of Omega Swirl,” said Koch. “The emulsified form significantly reduces the size of fish and flax oil molecules—allowing the oil to more efficiently pass through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream.”

Barlean’s is working on other new Omega Swirl line extensions for 2012.

Another company actively offering EFA alternatives is Martek, now a division of DSM Nutritional Products (Columbia, MD). The company’s first DHA omega-3 was delivered in a traditional gelatin-based soft gel, but as technology has evolved, Martek is now able to offer its branded life’sDHA™ oil in a vegetarian soft gel. “It’s exciting,” said Sarah Sullivan, director of strategy and new product planning, “as life’sDHA is from a vegetarian source (algae) not fish, so now we can offer a 100 percent vegetarian DHA supplement.”

Additionally, this year Martek introduced The new BrainStrong™ line of brain health supplements. The four-product line includes Prenatal multi-vitamin + DHA omega-3 combo pack and an Adult supplement, but the company is most proud of the breakthroughs it’s making DHA more palatable for children with its Toddler powder and Kid’s gummy.

“DHA omega-3 is important for all stages of life, so we wanted to develop supplements that cater to toddlers and kids and make it easy for this population to get DHA,” said Sullivan. “We expanded our delivery capabilities to include a flavorless powder and citrusflavored gummy, which provide options for children who cannot or do not want to swallow supplements.”

Martek’s teams researched several options and determined that a flavorless powder that can be mixed into the Foods and beverages that children aged 1 to 3 years already eat may be a good alternative to soft gels or gummies.“The new BrainStrong Toddler powder can be easily added to a variety of foods such as yogurt, mac and cheese or pudding and it provides toddlers with 100mg of DHA omega-3,” said Sullivan. “We worked with our sensory panel to determine which foods and beverages mix best with the powder and posted recommendations on the Toddler powder packaging to help parents navigate which foods and beverages are good mixers.”

Martek’s BrainStrong Kids is intended to offer parents a seamless supplement continuation as their toddlers get a little older. “We wanted to develop a kid’s gummy that contained the highest level of DHA omega-3 possible to help support brain health without jeopardizing taste or smell,” said Sullivan. “Through our R&D team’s efforts, we developed BrainStrong Kids, which is a DHA-plusmultivitamin.This citrus-flavored gummy contains 100mg of DHA—more than any other over-the-counter kids gummy.”

Already offering sweet products that make adults feel like kids, Barlean’s launched its new Omega Kids DHA Bubbles at this year’s NPA Las Vegas Show. The round, pearl-like soft gel capsules, or “bubble,” were designed, according to Koch, “for kids to embrace The ocean ‘bubble-like’ theme. Each round capsule bursts with an orange cream flavor.

New Replacing Old?

While new delivery systems can cannibalize the sales of an older form, Source Naturals’ Dennis shared that her company often finds that new forms grow overall business because they meet a unique need or solve a problem. And this is what the company expects with its new Wellness Herbal Resistance™ Liquid Vegetarian Caps.

“This product provides the same powerful immune support of the bestselling Wellness Herbal Resistance liquid, only in new, liquid-filled, vegetarian- safe cellulose capsules. The patented technology is stabilized with nitrogen to provide a barrier of protection against oxidation,” she said. “Wellness Herbal Resistance Liquid Vegetarian Caps has potential to appeal to the customers that previously did not want to use the original liquid form with dropper, and is a great solution for vegetarians who may not have tried Wellness products previously.”

In terms of retailers fearing losing sales from one product for another and trying to figure out which deserves their valuable (and limited) shelf space, Barlean’s Koch offered, “There really is no way to control cannibalism between traditional fish and flax oils and the new emulsified form. Each store is Different,” he said. “The consumer demand will dictate shelf positioning.
The best thing a retailer can do is merchandise both because sell-through data shows a healthy market for both in harmony.”

NOW Foods: Offering Portable Solutions

While liquids eliminate the need for consumers to swallow pills, they aren’t necessarily the most conducive for today’s on-the-go lifestyles. To that end, NOW Foods (Bloomingdale, IL) introduced its liquid Shots™, single-serving vials of liquid energy formulas designed with distinct benefits.

“NOW spent many months perfecting the packaging and the formulas, with special attention to stability, freshness and taste. These convenient energy-boosting Shots can be sold either as a single serving or as a 12-pack,” said Neil E. Levin, CCN, DANLA, the company’s nutrition education manager, adding that the three varieties have already been well received by consumers:

• NOW® Sports ChocoEnergy™ Shots™ provide the energizing health benefits of chocolate, 2,000mg of Bioenergy RIBOSE™, plus B12, yerba mate extract, NAD and chromium chelavite to support cognitive function for faster Reaction time. Containing about the same natural caffeine content as a strong cup of coffee, ChocoEnergy Shots supply Chocamine®, a proprietary cocoa extract that provides the energizing benefits of chocolate without the sugar or fat.

• NOW® L-Carnitine 2,000 mg Shots™ combine 2,000mg of Lonza’s Carnipure™ L-Carnitine with 500mg of certified organic açai, plus vitamin B12 and pantothenic acid in a tasty, caffeine-free formula. This innovative fusion of natural compounds transports body fat and enhances energy production and utilization.

• NOW® B-12 10,000 mcg Shots™ offer a complete B vitamin profile, vitamin C and a 10,000mcg blast of vitamin B12. Sugarfree, sweetened with xylitol and flavored with a refreshing blend of natural Raspberry, Strawberry and Cherry flavors, this formula is often used be people looking for both physical and mental energy.

In preparation for the recent FDA acceptance of NOW Foods’ BetterStevia™ as GRAS (generally regarded as safe), which allows its use in foods and beverages as a sweetener, the company has been working on development of various stevia-sweetened products for the past year or so. One of those products is NOW® Sugar-Free Drink Sticks, low-calorie stickshaped tear-open packets that are sweetened with BetterStevia™ and xylitol.

“They are each made with natural ingredients that provide 50 percent of nine daily vitamins and contain 10 super fruits. NOW Sugar Free Drink Sticks are designed to be a natural alternative to the popular mass market drink sticks that are full of unhealthy artificial ingredients,” offered Levin, adding that NOW’s selection includes four alternatives: Açai Lemonade Sugar Free Drink Sticks, Berry Energy Tea Sugar Free Drink Sticks with decaffeinated green tea, Pomegranate Berry Sugar Free Drink Sticks, and Tropical Punch with Fiber Sugar Free Drink Sticks, which also provide 3g per serving of Fibersol®-2 Soluble Fiber for good intestinal health.

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