Predictions that the global menopause market could reach $24. 4 billion by 2030 have sparked an explosion of consumer product innovation, with an increasing number of supplements, teas and skincare lines, designed to relieve symptoms, now available.
But food remained a largely silent area when it came to product development.
This is despite campaign teams insisting that nutrition is an integral component in helping women through perimenopause and menopause.
According to a new study, 70% of European women between 45 and 55 years old are more likely to go through menopause at some point. 90% of those women will report physical symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats and joint pain, and another 55% will report mental symptoms, such as depression and anxiety.
Diet and nutrition are key to helping other people cope with those symptoms, said Heather Jackson, co-founder of Gen M, during a speech at the FoodNavigator Positive Nutrition Summit last year. “We can no longer forget the effect that nutrition can have on being the most productive version of yourself until menopause,” she said. “We want [food manufacturers] to recognize the useful and publicity opportunity before them. »
It’s this gap in the market that encouraged Charlotte Blackler to expand what she believes is the United Kingdom’s first variety of foods designed specifically for other people going through menopause.
Mena, introduced in November 2023, is a variety of breads, breakfast cereals and bars formulated, as a herbal food alternative, to combat the symptoms of menopause, by incorporating ingredients rich in plant estrogens or phytoestrogens.
Blackler, who began her career in the pharmaceutical industry, was encouraged to create this line after her own menopausal experience left her suffering from joint pains. “I thought I had arthritis because I couldn’t go down the stairs properly. I had to. ” Passing like a crab because it was painful,” he says. Blackler also runs a small farm where, instead of employing antibiotics and hormones, she uses the medicinal properties of plants and herbs to raise her farm animals and made the decision to try the same technique herself. “I started rummaging through my cabinets and eating all those herbs, spices, and plants that I knew were helping and they did. “
Through additional research, Blackler discovered that countries where women were fed a diet rich in phytoestrogens had long been associated with reduced symptoms because they helped combat the drop in estrogen that occurs with menopause. Studies have shown that women can see recovery in just 12 weeks by adopting Japanese nutrition, thanks to their increased consumption of foods such as soy, miso and tempeh, which are naturally rich in phytoestrogens. “They don’t revel in this drop [in estrogen levels] when plant estrogens take over,” she says. “Plant estrogens have the same molecular shape as biological estrogens, so they are compatible with the receptor site and continue to do the same job. “
Therefore, when creating Mena, Blackler focused on incorporating phytoestrogen-rich ingredients into everyday foods, which would allow products to be fed for maximum impact. Sourdough bread, for example, is made up of soy, miso, flaxseed, and soy milk. The 3 diversity products are sold lately in gigantic quantities, with the option to also subscribe to a monthly subscription.
Blackler believes it probably won’t be long before the rest of the food industry starts to catch up. “It’s only a matter of time before the big guys wake up and realize it’s pretty simple,” he says. “Quantities are the only thing I can keep secret, however, those are general foods that are easy to obtain and transform into cereals, protein bars or other products, and it’s only a matter of time before Kellogg’s or Nestlé realise that 33% of other people in a supermarket may simply be a target market for it. In the meantime, I’m simply enjoying my first-mover advantage.
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