The Energy Bar Industry Essay

Words: 1289
Pages: 6

Energy Bar Overview The energy bar market grew from a grass roots effort focused on the consumer base of performance athletes. These athletes usually obtained products at competitive events that were geared towards the everyday consumer. The build up of this market is attributed to PowerBar, but there was significant contribution from others.
PowerBar and the Market
PowerBar began as a company seeking to create a performance-enhancing food that marathoners could consume during an energy-draining race. Initially, the product was marketed and distributed at bike shops and events where running and biking were the competition medium. As this new category began to expand, new entrants began to enter the market. These new entrants began
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Innovation and Opportunities One of the key opportunities for companies in the food bar industry is to focus on specific age groups and health conditions. Karen Holliday, marketing manager at Kerry Ingredients-Kerry Sweet Ingredients states "The over-50 crowd is one of the largest population segments and one of their health issues is arthritis". Also, she said "We've found chondroitin and glucosamine are a clinically proven formula that could easily be included in bars." In addition, the diabetic market has an incredible unmet need. Many individuals affected by Type 2 diabetes will start making different dietary choices and products with a low glycemic index will mean a lot to them. Research indicates that mothers are the biggest single purchasers of energy bars. Companies can find a niche marketing bars that are appropriate for both the parents and children. The energy bar market in European countries is underdeveloped. This is attributed primarily to the fact that each European country has its own nutritional habits and food culture and that the people are more into natural foods than processed foods. However, with busy lifestyles and shortage of time becoming common throughout the world no matter the culture, there will be a need of food bar usage. With the growing Hispanic population, there is a huge potential to market to this untapped demographic. Research shows that the