The skeleton key

People often make instinctual predictions, claiming to 'feel it in their bones', so it is an unfortunate irony that even the most psychically gifted don't see (or feel) osteoporosis coming.

One in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 will break a bone mainly because of the so-called 'silent epidemic', says the National Osteoporosis Society (NOS). To put this in perspective, there are almost 20M people aged 50 and over in the UK and this number will have increased to 25M by 2020. With figures like this, you'd think the market would be crying out for bone health foods.

However, Leatherhead Food International confidently announced in its 2005 report on functional foods that the bone health market was limited because the link between calcium and bone health was well-established. Leatherhead had a point. Dairy products are renowned for their high calcium content, so how many people can really get excited about its addition to bread and orange juice? Ok, so there's a small minority of consumers who are dairy intolerant and a few who just don't like it, but on the whole, dairy products are a key source of calcium.

Nevertheless food manufacturers are a determined bunch. So instead of trying to compete with dairy, those at the forefront of the market are looking at ways of working with it in order to increase bone density. In 2005, the bone health market was worth £901M globally and ingredients giant Orafti believes there are still plenty of opportunities for processors to benefit. "The market for pure calcium supplementation is becoming more evolved," says Tim Van der Schraelen, global communications manager at Orafti. "There's still a vast amount of untapped territory for lots of manufacturers. The need for calcium to help bones is not new - people are ready for the next generation of products."

The company's Beneo Synergy1 inulin enriched with oligofructose can increase calcium absorption and bone density. Van der Schraelen claims ingredients that have this effect are useful from a marketing point of view as they offer products a point of differentiation. But getting consumers to understand calcium absorption is a challenge. "In order to help manufacturers, we've been doing a lot of consumer research to find out which words and concepts people understand. There's not a single miracle sentence. It's different for different categories and different applications - you have to find what works."

Understanding of bone health often depends on milk and dairy consumption. For example, Holland has a much higher calcium consumption rate than Spain, he says. Some consumers are completely ignorant when it comes to bone health: "In one consumer group, a lady said: 'I don't have an issue with calcium because I have milk in my coffee'," says Van der Schraelen. He concedes that bone health will probably never be as popular as gut health because bone health products are preventative, whereas you can feel the effect digestive health products have on your body in a matter of weeks. "In bone health, you can only see results if you go for a bone scan every six months," he says.

The company also uses the Beneo label programme to promote understanding of calcium absorption. The Beneo symbol can be used on food products, which contain enough Beneo to have an effect on health. The aim is to ensure that clear, consistent and positive messages are used to convey the nutritional properties of inulin and oligofructose. Overall Orafti has 250 products on the market containing the label.

Jules Birch, founder of functional water firm Works With Water uses the Beneo label on her calcium-boosting water for kids and teens (see p65), but admits that explaining calcium absorption to consumers has been quite difficult. "We don't want to scare people into thinking their bones are crumbling. It's a tricky message to get across," she says.

The company is doing a lot of work with parenting clubs such as Bounty and Mum Plus One to raise awareness about children's nutrition. "Locally, we go out to schools and give talks on our waters and how they can help with bone health," says Birch. "We get the kids to interact and say what they think."

She admits that calcium fortification is an area she has looked into because it would make marketing the product much easier. "But inulin delivers a nice soft mouth feel, whereas calcium can impact on product taste - I don't want to go backwards," she says. "We also don't want to over burden the waters so that we have to do tests on stability."

With just 41 new bone health products launched in Europe so far this year, Birch doesn't feel there is too much rivalry in the sector. But when you consider that there were only 27 new bone health products launched in total last year, it is clear to see that a trend is brewing. Birch admits that larger firms are definitely taking an interest. "Big brands are ringing me to find out about the product. They wait for little people like us to see if the product works and then they follow," she says.

Van der Schraelen adds that manufacturers adding vitamin D to their products could be viewed as competition because it also helps the body to absorb calcium. "To a certain extent, vitamin D could be in the same field as Synergy1, though it's not a direct competitor because Beneo can provide improved product texture too."

Yoplait Dairy Crest (YDC) has ventured down the vitamin D fortification route, with its

Petit Filous children's yoghurts (see p65). It claims that bone health is dependent on adequate vitamin D status, as well as calcium and other lifestyle and dietary factors. "Natural sources of vitamin D are few and include: oily fish, liver and eggs, not all of which appeal to children," says the firm. Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin, it claims, because the most effective way to increase levels is via adequate exposure to the sun during the months of April through to September.

Vitamin D is on the government's agenda with the Food Standards Agency's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition publishing a review on vitamin D status in the UK in May this year. "It was thought that this would be sufficient for most individuals. However, new research is highlighting that vitamin D status in many individuals, including the young, is sub-optimal and this may influence their ability to optimise their bone strength," says the company.

YDC is using vitamin D to help its products stand out from the crowd. "From the point of view of the children's chilled yoghurts and desserts category; the majority of the key competitors in the market are fortified with calcium and it has become a consumer expectation or a 'standard' within the category."

Many consumers are currently unaware of the key role vitamin D plays in the absorption of calcium in optimising bone health, says the firm. " Therefore, as well as taking the important step of adding vitamin D to Petits Filous, Yoplait is taking the lead in communicating the benefits of vitamin D to consumers, says the company. "Petits Filous is spending £3M from May to November 2007 on two TV advertisements to increase awareness of the benefit of vitamin D in helping the bones grow stronger."

It seems the bone health market has huge potential, once manufacturers overcome the communication barriers. NOS is not actively promoting functional ingredients: "It is important to remember that it is a well balanced diet providing a wide range of nutrients that will keep bones strong, not just one added mineral or vitamin," it says.

However, there is no doubt that the group acknowledges the positive effect that functional foods can have on bone health. In its latest healthy eating literature, the NOS states: "Supermarket shelves are increasingly filled with supplemented foods that claim to be good for you because they are fortified with vitamins and minerals ... they may prove a convenient way of improving the nutritional value of your diet." FM

KEY CONTACTS​* NOS 0845 130 3076​* Orafti 00 32 16 801 301​* Works With Water 01200 441003​* YDC 01372 476000​