(Food-Beverage-News.Com, November 28, 2017 ) The Global Chia seeds market is estimated to grow at a significant rate owing to its growing popularity among health conscious people. Chia seeds are powerhouse of nutrients containing fibre, omega-3 fatty acids, proteins, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, antioxidants etc. These have reached a “superfood” level from the level of grass. They are mainly grown in the tropical and subtropical region.
Apart from being a raw seed snack, these are widely used in the food and beverages sector as an additive for juices, yogurt & pasta, cereals, smoothies, salads and even in sports nutrition products. Chia pods are made from the seeds just like oatmeal snack which interests more people as compared to the raw chia seeds. There is a tipping point for these seeds now, and the people have started using an ingredient which was not normal to them a few years back. It also helps in preventing premature skin aging.
Long storage life, easy transportation, free from rancidity issues and increase in the demand for healthy food are some of the drivers for the market. They are advantageous over the existing flax seeds as it is not mandatory to ground them. The only restrain for the market is unequal demand to supply ratio, as the seeds are grown only in specific regions and global demand is increasing at an enormous rate.
Mainly the chia seeds are segmented based upon their application into nutraceuticals, food and beverages. Food Segment can be further sub segmented into bakery, breakfast cereals and soups & gravies. Based on their colour they are divided into white, brown and black. As different form of product they are classified as chia seed oil, whole chia seeds, ground chia and chia bran. Food segment is the fastest growing sector due to the high demand of healthy food.
Geographically, the chia seeds market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. North America, specifically US leads the chia seeds market and have highest demand for the seeds. While Latin America is the largest supplier of the product, mainly Argentina and Bolivia. Asia Pacific is expected to be highest growing market in the forecast period. There are abundant potential market opportunities in Europe as the Chia seeds are becoming very popular due to their nutritional and health benefits.
The major companies dominating this market are Navitas Naturals Organic Chia Seeds, Spectrum Essentials Chia Seeds, Garden of Life Organic Chia Seed, Health Works Chia Seeds, Bob's Red Mill Chia Seeds, Benexia, Nutiva Organic Chia Seed, Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Chia Seeds, Tru roots organic chia seeds, Chiatrition Chia Seeds, Naturkost Übelhör and Glanbia Nutritionals.
