Can’t get no satisfaction?

While the desire to make a fast buck out the obesity crisis has spawned a whole swathe of hunger-busting ingredients, the appetite control market has so far failed to set the world on fire​, with uncertainty over health claims and a reluctance to take risks in the depressed economic climate only compounding the problem.

There have of course, been some high-profile successes in the satiety stakes in the UK, notably M&S’s Fuller for longer meals and Kellogg’s Special K Sustain cereal. But there have also been some equally high-profile failures: Unilever’s Hunger Shot drinks, which were axed after poor sales, and Danone’s Shape Feel fuller for longer​ yogurts, which have been quietly dropped.

Lipid Nutrition, which sells the appetite-suppressing pine nut oil PinnoThin, has made frustratingly slow progress, and even Campina, which had a successful launch with drinks containing DSM’s palm and oat oil emulsion Fabuless, admits they have struggled to maintain their initial momentum.

Hoodia and Hunger Shots...​

As for Unilever, meanwhile, satiety has so far proved both costly and disappointing. First came the embarrassing admission that after spending a cool £20m exploring the merits of appetite-suppressant hoodia,​ it would not be incorporating the wonder ingredient into any of its products.

Next came the high-profile launch of Hunger Shots, a one-shot drink packed with whey protein and fibres, which was withdrawn shortly afterwards amid ‘disappointing’ sales.

Passing fad or lasting trend?​

So is satiety another passing fad, or is this a trend with genuine potential?

From a scientific standpoint, it certainly has legs, although the research behind some products is more rigorous than others, making the likelihood of success in the health claims stakes pretty slim (excuse the pun) for all but a handful of ingredients.

From a consumer perspective, the premise also appears sound: drink this daily and you’ll consume slightly fewer calories a day, which could help to battle the bulge.

Managing expectations​

Perhaps the main challenge, as with many so-called functional foods, is positioning, and managing expectations. Add more filling ingredients to products that people already eat (this cereal brand instead of that one), and half the work is already done.

Attempt to persuade punters to part with hard-earned cash for an entirely new proposition or eating occasion (Hunger Shots) and you have a far steeper mountain to climb.

After all, consumers that spend £2.99 on four one-shot drinks expect results. They are also impatient. And as Unilever discovered to its cost, if these results are not rapidly discernible, regardless of the science, they will lose interest unless the product has other significant benefits.

Elaine Watson is editor of FoodManufacture.co.uk​