The Carbery Group company’s expansion of their sports nutrition offering aims to cater to manufacturers in the rapidly growing sports nutrition bar market.
The range comprises eight flavours, which aims to provide options for both new product launches and the enhancement of existing offerings.
Included in the range are their pre-existing 'core' flavours: chocolate; strawberry; and vanilla bean.
The range has now been expanded with the addition of flavours; peanut; dark cookie crumb; and coconut.
According to Synergy, the flavours have been developed with consumer demand in protein bars in mind and are based on the top 10 protein bar flavours in Europe.
Increased strength
The USP of the range is the increased strength flavour profile, designed to deliver more concentrated flavour in a protein bar ingredient matrix, usable in the protein core itself and within a fruit/caramel layer.
Chris Whiting, European business development manager at Synergy Flavours, explained: “Taste is king for many consumers, who should not, and will not, compromise on flavour. That's why our new range has also been formulated with cost-optimisation in mind, meaning manufacturers can still create great-tasting products, and consumers can still enjoy their favourite flavours, without being forced to compromise on quality.”
He did however explain that while consumers aren’t necessarily demanding 'stronger' flavours, it’s important that a flavour lives up to its name.
On cost effectiveness, Whiting stated: "The new solutions are concentrated to deliver high-impact flavour, which, in turn, allows manufacturers to offer popular flavours while balancing costs, at a time when raw material and energy prices remain high.”
He added that more concentrated flavours help by the lowering the percentage of formulation spent on flavour, allowing for higher quantities of deliverable active ingredients, namely protein.
NutraIngredients Europe will host its newly branded Active Nutrition Summit in Amsterdam from October 9-11.
An evolution of the brand's prominent annual Sports & Active Nutrition Summit, year’s event will provide delegates with insights into the increasingly holistic and mass market view of sports nutrition, from some of the leading names in the industry.
Content pillars will cover all the hottest topics in the industry today including cognitive health and esports, women’s health, life-stages nutrition, and personalisation.
Consumer interest
FMCG Gurus report that, of the consumers who have changed their diet in the last two years, 58% of global consumers increased their intake of protein.
Consumer insights reveal that 48% of global consumers have purchased high protein cookies, while 52% of consumers who have purchased milk protein drinks in the last six months.
Kate Kehoe, marketing executive at FMCG Gurus, states: “This demonstrates that while the sports nutrition industry has reached more of a mainstream audience of health-conscious, proactive consumers, brands should continue to focus on product innovation and the formulation of protein-enriched foods, including yogurts, cereals, snacks, and protein-infused beverages.”
According to Whiting, protein and energy bar sales are on the rise in Europe, particularly in the UK, where major retailers continue to expand their sports nutrition offering.
Whiting explained: “The sports nutrition market is evolving at a rapid pace, and as protein bars become increasingly popular, there is a real opportunity for manufacturers to innovate in this space and attract new customers who may be interested in trying these products as part of an active lifestyle.
“The market for bars in Western Europe is now second only to protein powders for largest sports nutrition segment ($952m versus $1.359m according to Euromonitor Passport) with most of this growth coming from the new wave of confectionery-style protein bars.”