Replacing fat with fibre in foods commonly found at the grocery store can increase health benefits for consumers and markets for western growers.
Kelley Fitzpatrick, co-ordinator of Flax Canada 2015, said incorporating soy-based protein and omega 3 fatty acid oils into diets can lower blood cholesterol levels and help put a dent in steadily rising health-care costs.
She said the Flax Canada initiative seeks to triple the value of flax within the decade.
Speaking at the Saskatchewan Herb and Spice Association conference in Saskatoon Jan. 13, the former director of the Saskatchewan Nutraceutical Network cited numerous health benefits provided by a host of supplements and vitamins.
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Their markets are stable, but growth has slowed since the industry’s heyday, when products such as echinacea flooded stores.
“There are opportunities, but there has not been a real good blockbuster.”
Fitzpatrick said herbs lost some credibility among health-care professionals when they were added to less nutritious products like potato chips.
In other cases, inflated health benefits were reported from the use of “pixie dust levels” of herbs.
“It has to be used at efficacious levels in their products,” she stressed.
Fitzpatrick said functional foods, enriched with vitamins or fibre to increase their nutritional and health value, are among the best ways to use herb products and deliver health benefits to consumers.
As examples, she cited the success of calcium-enhanced orange juice and products enriched with soy protein, vitamins and fibre.
She said diabetes and obesity are on the rise and an aging baby boom population is increasingly looking for products that deliver health benefits.
Functional foods enjoying the most growth include specialty teas, weight loss therapies, immune boosting products, energy drinks and children’s snack food.
Smoothies and meal replacements are also hot items, while gender-specific products for post or premenopausal women are on the rise.
Connie Kehler, SHSA executive director, said the search must continue for new uses for Saskatchewan crops.
“Get people to stop thinking of little capsules; these products have a wide range of uses,” she said of herbs and spices.
Functional food sales accounted for 37 percent of the $172 billion global nutrition market in 2003. They experience a growth of nine to 15 percent per year compared to one to three percent in conventional food markets.
The Canadian functional food and nutraceutical industry has more than 300 companies, with an estimated market size of $4 billion.
The Nutrition Business Journal estimated the value of the Canadian functional foods industry at $2.8 billion and the supplement industry at $1.2 billion in 2001.
