SRC Encouraging Entrepreneurs to Capitalise on Health Food Niche

The Scientific Research Council (SRC) is calling on entrepreneurs to work with the entity to create foods to meet the growing demand for healthier consumption options.

Marketing Manager at the SRC, Carolyn Rose Miller, said that “consumers are looking towards health and, wellness and we are open to solutions to address many lifestyle illnesses”.

She noted, for example, that persons are interested in functional beverages. “We want to hydrate using lemon grass or ginger, which is also assisting with anti-inflammatory needs,” she said.

Ms. Miller, who was addressing a recent JIS News Think Tank, is imploring entrepreneurs to capitalise on this area in order to promote healthy lifestyles and help to reduce the incidence of illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.

“We at the SRC are relevant and current [and ready] to develop those solutions to address those needs,” she added.

Executive Director at the SRC, Dr. Cliff Riley, in his remarks, noted that “our people are our greatest assets and if they are not healthy, we lose quite a number of man-hours”.

“One of our [SRC] primary focuses now is how do we facilitate that level of creativity among our people to generate wealth for our entrepreneurs and at the same time improve on the health and wellness of the consumer,” he pointed out.

Dr. Riley argued that a few years ago, a lot of persons were not very concerned about the nutritional facts or labelling on products. However, he noted that this has changed as persons want to know what they are consuming.

“Our dietary requirements have changed, our eating habits have changed and our health-seeking behaviours have changed significantly as Jamaicans,” he pointed out.

He added that “we even recognise this by the thrust of the Ministry of Health in reducing the amount of sugar and salt we take in”.

Dr. Riley informed that creating nutritional labels and facts for products is also a service offered at the SRC.