Egg shell partnership to tackle joint 'white space'
Stratum aims to accelerate the implementation of ESM’s Natural Eggshell Membrane (NEM) ingredient in supplements, functional foods and beverages globally dominated by glucosamine, chondroitin, calcium and vitamin D.
Other potential platforms for the partnership include cardiovascular and immunity and egg shell-derived calcium ingredients.
“We have worked with the Natural Marketing Institute and have identified a number of ‘white space opportunities’,” Stratum director of marketing, Jeremy Moore, said at the recent Supply Side West trade show in Las Vegas.
NEM is recommended at a daily dose of 500mg and a has been shown in an unpublished clinical trial to benefit osteoarthritic patients within 7-10 days.
“We are very confident about this ingredient but we realise we know one of the difficult challenges is communication,” he said. “There are many companies that don’t do a very good job of communicating with consumers. You have to address the needs and then you have to communicate them.”
In a statement he added: "We evaluated several other technologies in the joint health category, but chose NEM because we feel it has the best potential to become the next dominant joint health ingredient."
Under the terms of the deal, Stratum and its parent, Novus will share sales, marketing and R&D resources with ESM.
It is estimated that 140 million adults in the US suffer from some form of joint or connective tissue (JCT) disorder such as arthritis, lupus, gout, fibromyalgia, neck or back pain.
The figure is rising due to an ageing population.
