They're the latest fad in food marketing, hotter than sugar-free, fat-free, high-protein or low-carb offerings. Today's buzzword: antioxidants.
"Consumers may not know exactly what antioxidants are, but they know they're good for them," says Loretta Zapp, chief executive of Caffe Sanora, which produces an antioxidant-rich coffee. In 2005, researchers at the University of Scranton found that coffee was the No. 1 source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet.
Antioxidants are substances that work to inhibit the oxidation of cells in the body. Oxidation of cells contributes to cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and aging. Antioxidants occur naturally in many fruits and vegetables--especially ones rich in color--and nuts. Of course, nutritionists champion an antioxidant-rich diet.
The effectiveness of antioxidants on their own, consumed as additives, is less certain, but that hasn't kept companies from churning out a range of products--from fruity to funky--that boast high levels of antioxidants and pledge to deliver the benefits of the best natural sources without all the bulk. According to the market research firm Datamonitor, one in 20 food and beverage products launched in the U.S. so far this year has claimed to be high in antioxidants, almost double the rate from three years ago. Some 340 antioxidant products have reached the market since the beginning of last year.