ABSTRACT
In recent years there have emerged a number of discernible social trends involving the pursuit of a healthier lifestyle among consumers in the developed countries. These trends include:
A desire by a growing number of people to take control of their health futures.
The growth of new (often alternative) types of medical treatments that ‘confront’ medically based solutions to ill health.
The marketing of thousands of new products designed to promote health (such as vitamins, diagnostic devices and nutritional supplements).
Changing consumption patterns as a response to rising levels of obesity, cholesterol levels, and other diet-related illnesses.
The movement of fast-food restaurants and supermarkets into the provision of a range of healthier choices in addition to their normal offerings.
A repositioning by a number of major food companies into the provision of products with significant health claims (see Pilzer, 2007, ppvii-xviii).
As Western consumers have sought a healthier lifestyle through changing dietary patterns, so agri-food companies have transformed and expanded their product ranges. Novel food forms and new food categories, such as nutraceuticals and functional foods, have emerged to give substance to this so-called ‘wellness revolution’. The purpose of this chapter is to trace the emerging alliances and strategic partnerships between the food and pharmaceutical industries, and to evaluate some of the implications of these relationships for long-established agri-food companies.