Prepared Foods takes a look at new better-for-you foods, drinks and supplements introduced in May 2019.

Herbalife Nutrition, Los Angeles, introduced Formula 1 Select Meal Replacement shake and Protein Drink Mix Select. The two new plant-based nutrition mixes are formulated with a blend of pea, quinoa and rice proteins and are a nutritional solution for those with common food allergies such as soy, dairy or gluten.

“There is a growing trend of health conscience consumers looking for wholesome, plant-based ingredients, and we are excited to provide two new protein-rich options,” says Ibi Montesino, senior vice president and managing director for North America, Herbalife Nutrition. “Our new products provide a perfect blend of key nutrients to help consumers maintain a healthy, balanced diet.”

Formula 1 Select is a high-protein, healthy meal crafted with no artificial flavors or sweeteners. It provides an ideal balance of key nutrients for optimal nutrition and is formulated with 10g of easily-digestible plant protein (pea, rice and quinoa), and 5g of fiber and 6g of sugar, the company says. Protein Drink Mix Select delivers with 15g of protein, 3g of sugar and 24g of vitamins and minerals per serving. 

The Formula 1 Select shake and Protein Drink Mix Select products use Non-GM ingredients, are gluten free and vegetarian and kosher certified. They also are low glycemic and suitable for diabetics.

CORE Foods, Oakland, Calif., used Natural Products Expo West to introduce its Organic Probiotic Overnight Oat Bar.

CORE says the “nutritionally complete, fresh bar” comes in six sweet and savory flavors including: Lemon Poppy Seed, Coconut Cashew Mango, Peanut Butter, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Blueberry Banana Almond and Dark Chocolate Cherry. Organic Probiotic Overnight Oat Bars are available nationwide on Amazon or in the grab-n-go cooler/ fresh produce section at Whole Foods.

“We are on a mission to deliver essential nutrition to our consumer’s lives and aim to innovate within the snacking food category,” says Lance Collins, founder of CORE Foods. “The new Organic Probiotic Overnight Oat Bar line is nutrient-dense and adds new expectations to the refrigerated bar category without mirroring any other bars on the market. Our goal is to provide high quality products without compromising taste. CORE Foods has everything you need to make your core happy.”

Collins says each bar includes organic gluten-free oats, nuts and seeds. All six flavors are vegan, with at least 6g of soluble fiber and 5g of protein. “With no added sugar or sweeteners and filled with prebiotic and probiotic ingredients, this new line of bars is bound to make your gut happy while being the most nutritionally complete fresh bar available on the market,” says Collins. 

Choopoons LLC, New York City, says consumers are interested in digestive health and plant-based, gut-friendly products that deliver both taste and functionality. That’s why it developed three lines of Simply Free drinks, yogurts and dressings that deliver fiber, prebiotics, probiotics, omega-3 essential fatty acids and proteins.

Simply Free Wellness Drinks are available in Banana Cinnamon, Strawberry, Mango and Cold Brew varieties. Yogurts are available in Banana Cinnamon, Mango, Pineapple and Raspberry flavors. Dressings are available in Spicy Feta Dill, Spicy Harissa, Zesty Garlic and Lime and Moroccan Spiced Lemon varieties.

“Our products offer up to 50% of daily fiber intake and are super easy and enjoyable to consume,” notes Chris Lee, Choopoons marketing director. 

“While most companies add only probiotics to their food, we developed our products with a unique and much more effective combination of fiber, omega 3’s, probiotics, prebiotics and antioxidants, which work much more effectively together.”

All Simply Free products are kosher and contain up to 11g of protein; 15g to 17g of fiber; 1,200mg of omega 3 ALA; 5g to 10g of prebiotics and 1 billion CFU of probiotics. 

Simply Free dressings contain only 20 calories and 1.5g of fat per serving, and most Simply Free drinks and yogurts have fewer than 200 calories per serving. Simply Free drinks and yogurts are made from cucumber seeds for protein, and they’re sweetened with cacao fruit pulp (the fruit surrounding the cacao beans) rather than refined sugars, and they also have a glycemic index of less than 30.

Vital Proteins LLC, Franklin Park, Ill., used Natural Products Expo West to launch a Collagen Water line.

“Developing a line of functional on-the-go beverages was easily the quickest decision when debating the next product line at Vital,” says Kurt Seidensticker, founder and CEO of Vital Proteins. “We wanted to find an easy entry point for consumers to get a serving of collagen while also adding a product for those customers that needed a little help staying on track when life gets busy.”

Five new Collagen Water varieties include Original (a citrus twist on a neutral taste), Strawberry Lemon, Blackberry Hibiscus, Lemon Ginger and Blueberry Mint. Each offers light and refreshing flavor and 60 calories or less, the company says. 

Each 12oz bottle offers 10g of Vital Proteins’ proprietary Collagen Peptides (from bovine), real fruit juice and reverse osmosis water. 

“With the same full-body benefits as their powdered varieties—promoting stronger skin, hair, nail and joint health—this new line of functional water will forever flip your thinking on hydration,” the company says.  Each Collagen Water is gluten and dairy free with 3g of sugar or less and no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners.

Vital Proteins Collagen Water collection can be purchased online at vitalproteins.com in four-pack ($18) and 16-pack ($64) cases, or individually for $4.50. Bottles will be sold in retailers nationwide this spring.

Manuka honey products specialist, Wedderspoon Organic Inc., used Natural Products Expo West to introduce Apple Cider Drinking Vinegars and Apple Cider Vinegar Concentrates. 

Officials say Wedderspoon’s Apple Cider Drinking Vinegars and Concentrates are crafted from cold-pressed apples, organically-grown in small batches without heat or chemical-processing. This raw, unpasteurized and unfiltered apple cider vinegar is naturally fermented to preserve the “Mother,” a string of beneficial bacteria, enzymes, proteins and minerals. Wedderspoon adds raw Manuka Honey, a New Zealand superfood most often used to boost the immune system; and raw Beechwood Honey, a natural prebiotic; for an additional wellness boost.

Each 10-fluid ounce bottle is crafted with Staimune, has at least 11g of dietary fiber and offers 70% or more of recommended daily vitamin C intake. Apple Cider Drinking Vinegar is available in three different functions and flavors: Immunity (Blackcurrant flavor); Boost (Matcha Lemon Cayenne) and Detox (Ginger Turmeric).

New Apple Cider Vinegar Concentrates come in two different support functions: Immunity and Detox. 

Available in BPA-free, recyclable plastic bottles, these new lines began nationwide rollout in March. Wedderspoon Apple Cider Drinking Vinegars retail for $4.69 a bottle and Apple Cider Vinegar Concentrates will retail for $11.99 a bottle. Wedderspoon products are available at specialty, natural and traditional grocers nationwide, including Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, Publix, Sprouts, CVS, Natural Grocers and online at Amazon.com.

Israeli supplement maker Anlit Ltd. used VitaFoods Europe to debut Feminine Probiotics, a blend of six beneficial bacteria strains that support maintain a balanced pH level and prevent personal discomfort, the company says. 

The combination of these six strains with cranberry extract is ideal for a woman’s genitourinary health, the company says.  

“Anlit is constantly seeking innovative system delivery formats that consumers will love,” says Shai Karlinski, vice president of sales and marketing for Anlit. “For Feminine Probiotics, we created a synergistic combination of natural ingredients that are beneficial for women’s personal health and packed it into a tasty chew.”

One of Anlit’s main challenges was to create a tasty supplement with high stability. The company developed a technology it calls “LLP, Long-Life Probiotic,” which enables the incorporation of live bacteria in flavorful chewy formats. At the same time, the formulation ensures its high stability even under ambient conditions. For Feminine Probiotics, Anlit’s experts also had to assess the required level of the active cranberry ingredient and select a specific cranberry extract that contains the effective dosage of this ingredient.

“Another important parameter was the cranberry taste,” adds Karlinski. “While cranberry supplements have a bland or sour taste, we were uncompromising when it came to creating a flavorful chew that women would love.” 

Karlinski say the all-encompassing formula is delivered in a vanilla-cranberry flavored chew that melts in the mouth. The new product is vegetarian, GMO-free, nut-free, gluten-free, and certified kosher and halal.