Nutritional Growth Solutions expands kids nutrition shake portfolio with acquisition of KidzShake
Targeting a growing market of dietary supplement usage among kids (i.e. according to a 2018 CDC survey of American children and adolescents, more than a third of children in the US take dietary supplements), NGS managing director and CEO Liron Fendell stated that KidzShake was the "perfect fit" for its growing product portfolio of nutritional solutions for kids.
Founded by a US-based Australian doctor, KidzShake products – which come in powdered supplement form in three varieties (KidzShake CLASSIC, KidzShake PLUS, KidzShake VEGAN) – are billed as nutrient-dense and designed to fill in the nutritional gaps of an unbalanced diet.
The KidzShake CLASSIC formulation contains 15g of protein per serving, 0g of sugar (sweetened with a blend of monk fruit and stevia), 3.75g of fiber, the prebiotic VitaFiber ingredient, and variety of vitamins and minerals.
The brand also sells SportzPURE (an electrolyte recovery drink in stick pack form) and KidzSPRINKLES (a daily supplement of minerals, vitamins, omega-3s, and fiber) designed to blend into kids' meals.
Kids plant-based nutrition market
The acquisition of KidzShake also gives NGS an extension into the plant-based nutrition market for kids. The plant-based food and beverage sector grew 18% in 2020 (according to the Good Food Institute), and has outpaced demand for organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO products.
“In the backdrop of the plant-based trend there is strong recognition that children on vegan diets are in greater need for nutritional supplementation,” said Fendell.
“The market for pediatric vegan-based nutritional supplements will be one of the fastest growing sectors over the next 3-5 years," she said.
The vegan version of KidzShake is made from pumpkin, hemp, and pea protein (totaling 10g of protein), and enriched with fruit and vegetable powders plus a variety of probiotics strains.
New distribution channel
As part of its US strategic expansion plan, NGS has signed a vendor agreement with US medical distributor, Independent Medical Co-op, Inc. (IMCO) for the US distribution of Healthy Height, a patented protein shake clinically shown to improve a child's height without increasing their body mass index (demonstrating that the growth attributed to consumption of Healthy Height product was proportional, not obesogenic, said researchers of the study published in the Journal of Pediatrics).
Available online through the brand's website and on Amazon, Healthy Height protein shakes contain 12g of protein and 3g of added sugar per serving, and are supplemented with vitamins A, C, D, and calcium, iron and zinc – nutrients needed to support growth, but commonly deficient in children’s diets. Healthy Height powdered protein products also contain 350 mg of the arginine per serving; an essential amino acid found in low levels in children with stunted growth, according to the company.
Healthy Height is scheduled to be available for distribution in the medical channel in the first quarter of 2021, said NGS.
“The US is a key growth market for NGS,” added Fendell. “Having access to IMCO’s established distribution network, coupled with their 40 years of accumulated expertise in sales and marketing, provides a new significant sales pathway to complement our existing online channel for marketing our products.”
Did you miss our FOOD FOR KIDS virtual summit? Take a look back at the broadcast series available on demand HERE.
