Trend: Stimulant-Infused Energy Snacks

Companies are developing new ways to energise customers by infusing natural foods with stimulants.

Companies are infusing energy-giving ingredients into food products as a new way to attract customers. Energy foods provide all the stimulation of energy drinks, whilst possibly cutting out high levels of sugar, unpleasant tastes and unnatural chemicals. This trend is further evidence of the ‘functional food’ trend, which refers to foods chosen for reasons beyond satisfying hunger.

Cases

Sumseeds – Energized Sunflower Seeds
Promising to fill the customer with energy, Dakota Valley Products use a patented process to manufacture natural, healthy seeds infused with caffeine, taurine, lysine, and ginseng. Customers are drawn to the product for the flavour and energy-giving nature of the seeds, which gives twice the amount of energy as an energy drink without the added sugar.

NRG Potato Chips
Noted by some as a strange idea for a product associated with television snacking, NRG Potato Chips are the world’s first “energy potato chip”, containing taurine, caffeine, and B-vitamins. The chips’ flavourings mask the stimulants’ bitter tastes to provide a similar amount of stimulation per serving as a cup of coffee.

Engobi Energy Go Bites
Engobi is targeting video gamers with its caffeine-infused ‘Energy Go Bites’, with the point of differentiation being the 70% higher caffeine content when compared to conventional energy drinks.

Trend impact
This trend shows that consumers may be distinguishing between somewhat unhealthy stimulants, which they desire, and high sugar content in drinks, which they do not. Stimulants could be infused into many other foods – breakfast foods may be a particularly good candidate, including energy-giving cereals, breads and spreads. There may also be an opportunity in the sports or body-building market to develop very specific functional meals, for example a pre-gym meal of chicken infused with taurine to boost performance and results.

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