Indulgence meets functionality: Glanbia Nutritionals introduces range of snacks

Dagmar Ortlepp, marketing manager at Glanbia Nutritionals,​ said “we wanted to present again as the company that is the partner for customers to develop their products in the categories they work in and for the target markets they go to, and to also show our customers how we can support them not only in just delivering ingredients A, B or C, but also in what ingredient is best to use and how best to deliver that ingredient”.​

Chocolate is the flavour of the month

Ortlepp Nutritonals said the new range is “trying to capture the need of the general consumer to have something that is indulgent, confectionery, tastes nice and sweet, but bring functionality and doesn’t burden your health too much”.​

One product showcased by the nutrition giant was the chocolate-caramel protein bar, containing 10g of protein in every 30g bar.

Ortlepp said the bar is low in sugar and fat and also contains high dairy levels for muscle maintenance but is different to other protein bars where you can only taste the protein.

Following the chocolate trend, another prototype shown at Vitafoods was the high protein chocolate ready-to-mix (RTM) drink.

“The chocolate shake is also going in the direction of indulgence. It targets the 50+, a group that is realising they are getting older and life is getting more difficult, but they want to remain active and fit and enjoy the rest of their life,”​ said Ortlepp.

The shake is also appealing to older age groups, such as 70+, who have stopped eating heavy meals, explain Ortlepp.

Containing MenaQ-7, calcium and vitamin B3, the shakes main aim is strengthen bones and each drink provides 23g of protein.

Popping candy as a delivery form

Three varieties of popping-candy-type delivery methods were showcased, called Crystal Bursts.

"This is a really nice example of how we work with our partners in the industry. We are developing ideas to have new formats for supplements and we found a partner that brought the popping candy experience and we combined our knowledge to create a vitamin premix," ​said Ortlepp.

Adult crystal bursts are tailored for an energy boost whereas crystal bursts for kids promote healthy development.

Ortlepp says the Bioferrin crystal bursts are really exciting due to their high iron content without upsetting the stomach.

Ortlepp said the popping candy had been very well received at the show and was an example of how R&D and market insights can work together to create a product.