Instore - November 2018 - 41

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Several ingredients, including collagen, teff and lentils, may show a
different pattern, with slower growth and lower breadth, suggesting
products featuring the ingredients haven't yet reached mainstream
consumers, Schmansky said.
"It's really in this area where ingredients either become something
and move up into the mature stage or they ultimately die off and you
may never hear from them again," she said. "For an established brand
that is playing it safe, collagen might not be a necessary bet that they
want to invest in, but for those that are category disruptors who are
willing to build the overall collagen market and at the same time build
their brand, this might be the right time to do so."

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Pierce highlighted a pair of sweeteners at different stages in the
trajectory: stevia and monk fruit. Stevia, a mature ingredient, represents a strong opportunity for established suppliers and manufacturers, he said, as nearly two-thirds of American households have
purchased stevia or a stevia-sweetened product in the past year.
"Stevia is growing in more categories across the store," Schmansky
said. "Obviously products like ice cream or chocolate or fruit drinks
are turning to stevia... but we're also seeing it make its way into health
and beauty care aisles as products like toothpaste and supplements
are posting significant growth featuring this mature ingredient."
Conventional brands also are experimenting with stevia, Pierce said,
citing Coca-Cola and Yoplait as examples.
Carving a much smaller niche in the market is monk fruit, with only
7 percent of households purchasing products formulated with the
sweetener in the past year. Monk fruit may be found in lactose-free
milk, ice cream, nutrition bars and shakes and cereal, Schmansky
said.
"The opportunity is there, but it's about knowing where to invest and
what products to invest it in," she said.
Other trending ingredients tap into principals of ayurvedic medicine.
Adaptogens such as ashwagandha and moringa are relatively small
but growing; overall dollar sales of products with ashwagandha, for

example, are less than $1 million but grew more than 200 percent
over the latest 52 weeks, Schmansky said.
"Superfoods are finding their niche in this self-care environment,"
she added, pointing to turmeric, which may be found in 97 percent
of households.
Overall growth of turmeric has slowed to about 3 percent from the
year-ago period, but across the grocery store the ingredient is driving
double-digit gains. Salty snacks and soups featuring turmeric grew 27
percent and 18 percent, respectively, in the past year.
"Turmeric is dominating from an overall revenue standpoint at
upwards of $11 billion," Schmansky said.
Innovation is slowing, however. The number of new products
featuring turmeric at both Natural Products Expos grew 22 percent
over the past three years, compared with 144 percent growth for
ashwagandha and a whopping 460 percent growth for moringa.
"Whether you're an investor, a distributor, a retailer or a manufacturer, you might find yourself walking the show here and looking at
all the incredible things, all the innovation... asking yourself where
do you invest?" Pierce said. "Where do you put your time, money, and
effort next?"
Ingredients aligned with health and wellness are driving growth
within a challenged retail environment, Schmansky said.
"We see categories such as mandarin oranges, salads, sparkling waters and lactose-free milk all driving growth...," she said.
"Ultimately, it's the products that promote convenience, healthier
alternatives and good-for-you ingredients that keep winding up in
our baskets, stealing share of wallet, and helping brick and mortar
maintain that slight growth rate of 0.7 percent ."

instore * NOVEMBER 2018 * 41

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