Here come the brain beverages

New drinks promise mental health, but green tea could be the real winner
5/23/2014

Moms and dads eagerly buy foods that promise proper brain development for their children. But what about brain health in grownups? New beverages are trying to carve out a market.

Such drinks can be a hard sell, says Euromonitor analyst Diane Cowland, in a new report.

“Brain health and memory is a difficult positioning for companies in which to gain traction as the very nature of the category means that products have an inability to produce immediate results.”

But with aging baby boomers hoping to stave off dementia, a market may open.

One drink with potential is green tea, Cowland believes. Studies have linked green tea extract to enhanced memory.

Meanwhile, several brain beverages have hit the market. Kole Life Foods in the U.S. launched a tonic this year called Alive, It promises to enhance brain performance and alertness.

In the U.K., a drink called Brainwave launched this year as well. It claims to keep the mind healthy. Among its ingredients: green tea.

Marketing beverages as brain boosters will require a certain amount of savvy by consumer packaged goods companies. At the moment, Cowland notes, most consumers trust supplements more than beverages to boost brainpower.

“In order to gain credibility, manufacturers should ensure that the ingredients used in products carry strong claims and if possible guarantee consumers an efficacious result within a certain timeframe," she writes.

Read the full Euromonitor report here.

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