Innovation requires clever insights. Clever insights require thinking, not just any kind of thinking, but critical thinking that challenges the norm many times, resulting in better decisions. If "innovate or evaporate" is the mantra for 2000 [www.trendletter.com], then effort should be underway to demand that individuals be accountable for building unconventional thinking [www.inc.com] into the creative "development process." The ab­solute enthusiasm of taking a product concept, making it a reality through shared vision and creating a worthwhile business pursuit can be dampened by leadership teams with "big heads and little ears" [www.thinksmart.com]. On the other hand, a metric that measures "insightful thinking" may energize the development process at each critical phase [www.thinking-expedition.com]. Sales and profit are necessary qualifiers for those new product ideas that actually make it to market. Internal product development cycles, however, require a monitor that emphasizes the value of "momentum" and "intuitive risk" that sometimes is drowned out by quantitative paralysis. Acting on insights is the necessary diversion for looking beyond our conventional approaches [www.fastcompany.com] to turn the spirit of innovation into sustainable advancement.

Innovations In Probiotics

Given the opportunity to look broadly at this issue's central theme of probiotics, several individuals have shared that the creation of the yogurt category resulted from the persistence of insightful thinkers. At one time, yogurt was only available in health food stores as it was considered a niche product [www.yaourt.org] that only few would bother to eat. In fact, in the early 1980's, the Los Angeles Times featured yogurt as one of the top three most hated foods in America. Although many still dislike eating it, the category is roughly $1.8 billion and still in search of more ways to significantly innovate and reinvent itself. Insights uncovered in the areas of packaging and product positioning sparked new growth. New ideas in portability emerged from the fact that almost one-third of yogurt is consumed away from home. Manufacturers responded with "spoon in a snap" [www.yoplait.com] and other unique packaging designs that enhance consumption away from home. Adding the element of "fun" to innovative packaging [www.gogurt.com], the product can now be more appealing to kids, thus expanding the consumer reach beyond the traditional "18-45 female" user.

Consumer awareness of the relationship between diet and health is at an all time high [www.dietsite.com]. Among many influencing factors, the recent media attention by prominent spokespersons surrounding colon cancer [www.snoopy.com] and other intestinal diseases have specifically emphasized the importance of "gut" or GI health. The drain on health care dollars prompted consumer education programs that highlight the adverse affects of a poor diet, medication and stress on our digestive system. The booming antacid market seems to be a valid indicator of the consumer need for solutions beyond alleviating the uncomfortable symptoms associated with digestive distress. Category participants [www.nationaldairycouncil.org] are diligently searching for the next critical insight that will turn this peaked awareness into noticeable action.

Enter yogurt [www.gmabrands.com]. Enter a whole new distasteful jargon about bacteria. Selling the benefits of "friendly" bacteria in the face of other promotions featuring "anti-bacterial" lotions and soaps is bound to bring about confusion. Yogurt by design contains bacteria or "active cultures" that are credited with maintaining the level of friendly bacteria in the GI tract. These conventional cultures, like bifidobacteria, were in part selected for use in yogurt on the basis of their ability to survive the industrial manufacturing process. The National Yogurt Association developed a "seal of approval" to certify that a specific product contains a significant level of live and active cultures. Upon consumption, the friendly bacteria are capable of surviving the digestive process to provide specific health benefits such as producing B vitamins and fighting infections, as well as improving digestion.

Some are daring to move beyond "active cultures" and talk about "probiotics" to expand the current health benefit story. Apparently something must be working for one of Nutraceuticals World's industry innovators, Stonyfield Farm [www.stonyfield.com], as it is investing $11.5 million to expand and renovate its facilities, nearly doubling production capacity [www.packworld.com]. Its "Y6C In Y2K" packaging campaign claims "…the only U.S. yogurt brand with 6C- six live cultures: S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, Bifidus, L. casei and L. reuteri. Studies have shown that probiotic cultures benefit your health in a variety of ways. They aid digestion, improve nutrient absorption and boost immune defense systems. L. reuteri is exclusive to Stonyfield Farm…" (For more information on Stonyfield Farm, see this issue's Industry Innovators article on page 30.)

Other category participants are watching this approach with reserved optimism in determining the value of competitive insulation via exclusive use of specific bacteria [www.healthbusinesspartners.com]. In the case of Stonyfield Farm, L. reuteri is reported to positively boost the body's immune system defenses as it produces a substance called reuterin that inhibits the growth of "harmful" bacteria such as salmonella, E. Coli, staphylococcus and the yeast candida. The translation of this into attractive, meaningful consumer messages will reveal the true merit of this approach. Stonyfield Farm is also broadening its scope to capture the attention of mothers with the launch of YoBaby, a certified organic yogurt especially designed for babies and toddlers to enhance digestion, release immune-stimulating compounds and help young bodies absorb and synthesize vitamins.

Stonyfield Farm is not the first to position probiotic cultures in yogurt [www.danonenewsletter.fr]. Nestle was among the pioneers with the development of "LC1," a particular strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus with immune-stimulating properties. "LCI Diat" is a probiotic diet fruit yogurt available in a variety of fruit flavors. Other major players [www.just-food.com] have current programs underway, particularly outside the U.S. ConAgra has introduced "Culturelle," a brand of yogurt containing Lactobacillus GG , purported to reduce the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Danone's "Actimel" and Campina Melkunie's "Vifit" are among many yogurt products leveraging probiotic bacteria.

Meanwhile, the whole "gut" health category [www.immunetree.com] is taking shape to include many forms of probiotics as well as other supporting approaches [www.prebio.com] through use ingredient technology. Lifeway [www.lifeway.net], with the slogan, "Drink it to be beautiful inside and out," claims kefir has "more than twice the friendly bacteria found in yogurt." Bio-K Plus takes claim that its product contains the first "live" culture Lb. acidophilus, a special strain called CL1285 plus Lb. Casei. Eden Foods, Inc. is offering BIFA-15 in portable single dose tubes. "DDS-1" [Nebraska Cultures, Inc] is touted as the only L. acidophilus manufactured by an exclusive proprietary process. The competitive claims alone will require analytical sophistication for thorough substantiation. Frankly, knowing the functions of each and branding the products using numbers and acronyms for each of the bacterium is quite confusing and not memorable.

Innovations In Research

While product manufacturers work out how to sell gut health products [www.symbiotics.com], research continues to uncover the powerful role that probiotics can play in improving health. In the early 1990's medical experts pointed to H. pylori as the culprit behind ulcers. Roughly 50% of Americans are infected with this bacterium as it burrows into the lining of the stomach and duodenum. When ulcers occur, H. pylori is responsible for a vast majority of them, prompting research [www.natren.com] to help control their growth through the use of probiotics.

An immune system that is functioning at peak performance is primed and ready to protect against harmful bacteria, which keep us from optimal health. Bacteria continues to evolve, creating resistance to antibiotics [www.pfizer-kids.com] that is sometimes depended upon to fight off infection. For example, tuberculosis, a disease conveyed by an infectious bacteria and once thought to have been under control, has now resurfaced and is more challenging to treat than ever before. Researchers are looking to strengthen immunity by offering reasonable solutions in the foods we eat everyday.

New developments in the probiotics research area have sparked activity with a class of ingredients called prebiotics. Prebiotics [www.larex.com] are dietary carbohydrates [www.betterhealthnow.com] that arrive undigested in the colon and are fermented by GI tract bacteria to produce short chain fatty acids. These acids enable the friendly bacteria to flourish and multiply while simultaneously changing the pH level in the lower intestine to prevent the overgrowth of E. coli and other harmful bacteria. Their presence also stimulates water and electrolyte absorption, two significant factors in the fight against diarrhea. Prebiotics include sugar alcohols (i.e sorbitol), oligosaccharides [www.orafti.com], polysaccharides (i.e. cellulose) and resistant starch [culturepro].

Product manufacturers and research organizations (www.foodexplorer.com) are investing in discoveries for optimal performance of GI health. It is only a matter of time before that "gutsy thinking" will uncover those seemingly insignificant events [www.nusciences.com] that bring new ideas to a point that appeals to the mainstream consumer. At the same time, it is definitely a category that is opportune for creative types to sort through the consumer confusion and find that hidden gem that will ignite the category. Branded technology may be the necessary principle to turn the spirit of innovation into sustainable advancement.

NW