Why Grandma’s Nutrition Drink Is So Hard to Disrupt

Mr. Abraham instead expanded the brand through a mix of retail and online sales, eventually adding plant-based protein powders, as well as a nutritional shake for children. Nestle recently bought a controlling stake in Orgain, and is helping it expand in the health care system.

A nutrition brand called Kate Farms that makes organic, plant-based shakes has managed to find a toehold after more than $100 million of fund-raising. Brett Matthews, the company’s chairman and chief executive, said that after investing behind extensive clinical research, navigating the complex process of qualifying for insurance reimbursement and building a large portfolio to fill a hospital’s needs, the drink is in 800 hospitals.

Many within the industry expect more new products geared toward older adults. Science on which dietary interventions may slow physical decline is developing rapidly, and consumers are more nutritionally savvy.

Just look at what has happened with infant formula. Here Abbott also remains the category leader, but has had to defend against competitors like Earth’s Best, Happy Family Organics, and Bobbie, which appeal to millennial parents who are looking for ingredients like grass-fed dairy and organic coconut oil. As those same consumers become caregivers for their aging parents — and then become aging parents themselves — it stands to reason they will take the same approach.

In the meantime, absent major breakthroughs, those who can chew and swallow enough food to maintain a healthy weight may be better off just skipping the shake, said Mr. Katz, the preventive medicine physician.

“We have vivid evidence of what works, from places in the world where people live to be a hundred or more with their cognition intact,” Mr. Katz said. Those subjects are physically active and maintain a proper diet and sleep habits, he said, adding, “They’re not drinking nutrition shakes.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/02/business/dealbook/nutrition-drinks-ensure-boost.html