In this case study, an international ingredient company engaged CPL Business Consultants to assess the market potential for a low GI product and make strategic recommendations on approaching this market. 

Recently there has been a trend towards replacing or partly replacing sucrose and other calorific sugars in foods with lower calorie or lower glycaemic index (GI) substitutes. There are some possible opportunities relating to the GI ingredient area, namely arabinose and polyphenols from sugar cane; this report provides a deeper understanding of how the GI market is developing and which opportunity would have the most potential. How can the concept of lowering the glycaemic index of sucrose be transformed into a viable business opportunity?

Click here for a PDF of the contents of the study or look below for an outline.

Low GI Ingredient Market Potential

Executive Summary

  • Objective & Scope
  • Background
  • Method
  • Principal Findings
    • Market
    • Trends
    • Consumer awareness
    • Regulatory
    • Science
    • Recent Research
    • Patents
    • Regulatory (WHO/FAO)
    • Survey
  • Conclusions
    • The Opportunity
    • The Choice of Ingredient
    • The Marketing Approach
  • Answers to Specific Questions
    • Are the Scandinavian/Nordic and/or the European consumer markets ready for low GI claiming products in general?
    • Is the concept only for diabetics /pre-diabetics or for all?
    • Is the scientific base strong enough to bring a product concept to markets in Europe?
    • What are the best alternatives?
    • Soft claims / hard claims?
    • Individual ingredient claims vs. claim of impact in food & beverage products?
    • If yes to the above, what strategy should choose in bringing the concept to market?
  • Recommendations

Glycaemic Index Market Overview

  • Market & Trends
    • Focus on Bakery
  • Glycaemic Index – Definitions
    • What is it?
    • Measuring GI
    • Australian Initiative (University of Sydney): The Glycaemic Index Symbol Program
    • Program Eligibility
    • Guidelines for Product Acceptability
    • General Exclusion
    • Consumer Information
    • Examples of  Testing Programmes
    • GI Database
    • Other Initiatives in South Africa and Europe
    • Summary of Low GI Ingredients
  • Global Market & Products
    • Australia
    • New Zealand
    • USA
    • Europe
  • South Africa
    • Focus on Market in Scandinavia
    • Sweden

Companies

  • Food ingredient companies with relevant ingredients
  • Food Companies with relevant products
  • Retailers
  • Universities and Industry Associations
    • Committee of the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) International
    • Calorie Control Council

Result from a GI consumer Survey

  • Description of Statistics
  • GI Knowledge
  • Sugar Consumption
  • Sugar and Health
  • Label Preferences
  • Premium payers

Contact Reports

  • Food ingredient companies with low GI enabling ingredients
  • Food companies with low GI products
  •  Retailers
  • Others

News

Patents

  • Patent Law in Japan
    • The Types of Intellectual Property Rights and the System for their Protection in Japan
  • Japanese Patents
  • Polyphenols and Glucose
  • Hyperglycaemia and Xylose
  • Falcanoids
  • Arabinose

Recent Research

  • FAO/WHO Opinion
    • FAO/WHO Scientific Update on carbohydrates in human nutrition: conclusions
  • Arabinose
    • Nutritional and Physiological Functions and Uses of L-Arabinose.
  • Sugar Cane Polyphenols
    • Immunostimulating effects of the polyphenol-rich fraction of sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.)
  • Glycaemic Index Research
    • 40 items

Appendix

  • Consumer Survey relating to the GI Concept in food

Tables

  • Alternative sugar concepts and its respective advantages and disadvantages
  • Market segments with potential using the ‘Longer Lasting Energy’ concept
  • Examples of Low GI versus High GI
  • Products with approved product specific health claims in Sweden
  • Requirements to label food products with a low GI claim in Sweden
  • Products approved in Sweden for a GI related claim
  • Age distribution of respondents by country
  • BMI distribution of respondents by country
  • GI Knowledge of respondents by country
  • Distribution of respondents by number of correct answers relating to GI
  • Distribution of actual GI knowledge by age group
  • Concern about the health affects of sugar, by country
  • Concern about the health affects of sugar, by country
  • Concern about the health affects of sugar, by BMI status
  • Health concern type, by BMI status
  • Label preference for sugar, by country
  • Label preference for sugar, by age group
  • Label preference for sugar, by BMI status group
  • Willingness to pay a premium, by label preference category
  • Recent patents on glycaemic properties of food by year and country
  • Recent patents on glycaemic index by year and country
  • Summary of Japanese IPR law and protection periods
  • Patents relating to L-arabinose

Figures

  • Global low GI Bakery Market, by Region
  • US low GI Bakery Market, by category
  • Effect of high and low GI foods
  • Specifications for Marking Products with the GIFSA Logo
  • Chemical structure of x
  • Manufacturing process of x
  • Age distribution of respondents, by country
  • BMI distribution of respondents by country
  • GI Knowledge of respondents by country
  • Distribution of respondents by number of correct answers relating to GI
  • Distribution of actual GI knowledge by age group
  • Average annual sugar consumption (kg/year) by country
  • Typical use of sugar by country
  • Concern about the health affects of sugar, by BMI status
  • Health concern type by country
  • The level of consumer understanding has a crucial impact on “go to market” strategies and related communication budgets
  • Blood glucose response after consumption of x compared to sucrose

See also our partnership opportunity study on this topic. Have a look at our PowerPoint Introduction and Brochure describing deliverables, differentiators and case studies. Eight case studies can also be reviewed.

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