Culinology - December 2020 - 42

PETITS fours

Understanding the immunity seeker
The immunity trend is here to stay, according to industry
experts surveyed by Euromonitor, which has its US offices
in Chicago. Interest in food and beverages carrying
an immunity claim surged at the beginning of the year
and has remained elevated throughout the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic. Euromonitor surveyed food and
beverage experts in April and July and found confidence
in the trend's durability increased over time.
" More respondents felt that movement to these
products was either a permanent or mid-term change in
July than in April, " said Matthew Oster, industry manager,
consumer health, at Euromonitor. " It seems the demand
for immunity functionality will last not just into 2021 but
will potentially set the stage for broader behavior changes
into the future. "
Underlying the movement is the emergence of what
Euromonitor calls " immunity seekers. " Around a third of
global consumers fit the profile, meaning they regularly
and actively engage with immunity products.
Immunity seekers tend to cluster in two age groups:
early- to mid-career and those who have retired or are
near retirement, Euromonitor found. Twenty percent of
American consumers who fit the description were in their
thirties, followed by a slight retreat among consumers in
their forties and fifties, and another jump among those in
their sixties and older.
" There is a heightened need to stave off illness during
the prime of their professional life as they're building

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Culinology | DECEMBER 2020

up esteem professionally, and this mirrors the typical
entrance into parenthood, with needs for immunity and
prevention for both the parent and child, " Mr. Oster said.
Immunity seekers are more likely to be highly educated
and live in dense urban areas. They cited doctors and
medical professionals as their No. 1 source of information.
Immunity seekers also were more trusting of friends,
family and online sources than the average consumer.
They were more likely to research immunity on their
own, engage in online discussions about ingredients
and products, and were more likely to develop an
understanding of a product's benefits before purchasing.
There's little consensus when it comes to ingredients
used for immune support, Euromonitor found. Immunity
seekers reported using a range of ingredients, including
vitamins B, C, D and E, omegas, probiotics, fish oil, iron,
calcium, protein, turmeric, ginseng, green tea extract,
collagen, mushroom extracts and CBD.
" The lack of unanimity in ingredients supports the fact
that immunity seekers are thinking of immunity in broader
terms and are open to trying different ingredients for this
need, " Mr. Oster said. " This implication is really important
as the industry looks to evolve and as the term 'immunity'
broadens to incorporate new formats, new ingredients
and new positionings. "
Many consumers already have adopted an expanded
view of health, evolving their definition beyond weight or
physical appearance. Immunity seekers conceptualized
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