• Worldwide, more than two billion people have micronutrient deficiencies as they are not getting enough vital vitamins and minerals each day.
• Fortified foods enriched with vitamins and minerals are growing in popularity, and this surge is set to grow this year.
• M&S new Select Farms Vitamin B6 & D Chestnut Mushrooms (300g) contain four-times as much B6 as regular mushrooms.
• Celebrity nutritionist Rob Hobson suggests including fortified foods into your diet to boost your nutrient intake and support your overall health and wellbeing.
The ‘sunshine vitamin’ has become a major talking point this year, following recent news that vitamin D could be linked to a reduced risk of coronavirus.
Worldwide, more than two billion people have micronutrient deficiencies as they are not getting enough vital vitamins and minerals each day .
As Brits are experiencing a renewed focus on health, there has been a growing trend for brands to enrich their products with key nutrients. In fact, the UK and Ireland Mushroom Producers are expanding their offering of high-quality, vitamin D enriched mushrooms without compromising on taste.
Fortified foods are those that have nutrients added to them that don’t naturally occur in the food. Whereas enriched foods mean the nutrients that were lost during the processing are added back in.
Celebrity nutritionist, Rob Hobson, has partnered with the UK and Ireland Mushroom Producers to explain why more brands are enriching and fortifying their ranges with vitamins.
Rob Hobson says, “As one of the only vegan and veggie friendly sources of vitamin D, British and Irish mushrooms are having their moment. In fact, just eight vitamin D enriched mushrooms can help us reach our RDA, while four medium-sized Vitamin B12 enriched mushrooms delivers 100% of your recommended intake.”
What’s more, supermarkets state the nutritious vegetable has become more popular over the last year, with sales increasing 40% year on year .
From Soupologie recently introducing its vitamin D enriched soup trio, to Nomadic launching its vitamin D yogurts, more brands want to encourage shoppers to get enough essential nutrients in their diet, which has never been more important in the current climate.
British and Irish growers spent a year developing the latest M&S Select Farms Vitamin B6 & D Chestnut Mushrooms (300g), to contain four-times as much B6 as regular mushrooms.
The mushrooms were already high in the vitamin D, after the supermarket boosted its levels back in 2015 .
Hobson adds, Shoppers want more from their everyday products. I think that healthy food and drinks fortified with vitamins, minerals and other functional ingredients will remain a priority for shoppers throughout 2021, as functional foods have now become a useful way to support their immune system amidst the pandemic.”
Rob recommends a selection of foods enriched with vitamins, to boost health and immunity:
1. Vitamin D enriched British & Irish Mushrooms: Just eight medium-sized vitamin D enriched mushrooms deliver 100% of your recommended intake.
2. Vitamin B enriched British & Irish Mushrooms: Just four medium-sized Vitamin B12 enriched mushrooms delivers 100% of your recommended intake. Mushrooms are also a natural source of vitamins B2, B3, B5 and B6, with one 100g serving of Vitamin B6 mushrooms providing 30% of your daily recommended intake (RI).
3. Soupologie: The brand has added three new vitamin D soups including Lentil & Kale, Turmeric Noodle Broth and Pea & Leek. The products are all fresh plant-based soups enriched with a vegan source of Vitamin D3 and provide at least 50% of the recommended daily intake in one 300g serving.
4. Babybel Plus: As part of its ‘Caring Nutrition’ push, a range of functional Babybels have recently launched. As well as being high in protein and rich in calcium, the cheese has an additional nutritional boast. Babybel+ Vitamins is enriched with vitamins A, B5, B6 and D, while Babybel+ Live Cultures targets the gut health trend, packed with a billion active lactobacillus ferments.
5. Moju Vitamin D Shot: Each shot contains 396% RI of vitamin D, which has been naturally sourced from seaweed. The shots are also packed with fresh-pressed ginger, turmeric root and echinacea.