NCP in the News: RayZyn looks to turn wine grapes into a superfood snack

(Originally posted on Fooddive.com)

 

RayZyn joins other manufacturers, including Welch’s, to try push grapes into the healthy snack category. But with its high levels of sugar — one of the highest of all the fruits — consumers may be wary of the claim. Wine grapes, in particular, are specifically bred to have high concentrations of sugar, up to twice that of a table grape.

 

What RayZyn, however, is focusing on is the heavy dose of antioxidants and vitamins, especially vitamin C, that come with its wine grapes.

 

The father/son team may benefit from the marketing of powerhouse Welch’s, which is focused on the “health-promoting plant nutrients” inherent to grapes called polyphenols. Studies have shown it to play a supporting role in staving off the development of chronic diseases.

 

The health benefits has has the company referring to the Concord grapes as “the original superfood.” These molecules, however, are not a primary nutrient and are activated in combination with others and are only required in small amounts.

 

By highlighting the antioxidant content, companies like RayZyn are working to reframe a childhood snack favorite as a health food for adults, particularly millennials.

 

Raisins have long been associated with school lunches and as kids grow up, that association remains. Data from the National Consumer Panel (NCP) and reported by Business Insider shows that those who buy Sun-Maid raisins are baby boomers and seniors, the same group that was buying these raisins for their kids’ lunches.

 

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