Media release – Draft 1
March 2014
SOUTH AFRICAN BRAND FUTURELIFE EXPANDS FOOTPRINT INTO UAE
Leading brand in the South African functional food market, Futurelife, has announced their
expansion into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the recent GulFood Show that took place in
February 2014.
“We are pleased to announce our expansion through the region's premier trade event which was
hosted in Dubai - the trading hub of the United Arab Emirates. Through the Gulfood Show, we
established solid connections with local manufacturers and distributors that will grow the Futurelife
brand in the regions,” says Shaun Harris, Managing Director of Futurelife.
According to Harris, the market for enhanced or functional foods and beverages continues to grow
in step with changing consumer health and wellness lifestyles. As an overall global trend in
functional food and beverage consumption, consumers are navigating wellness with greater breadth
and depth of knowledge and there is a keen focus on ‘clean, real foods’. “Consumers in the UAE are
no different and we are hoping to meet these consumer demands through our products which
contain significant health properties,” says Harris.
Futurelife Smart food, which can be consumed as a meal or shake anytime of the day, is highly
versatile and convenient – mixes instantly with cold milk or water and is flavoursome without the
need for added sugar. The product is high in energy, protein, vitamins and contains iron and Omega
3.
Harris adds that in addition to providing a great versatile and nutritionally dense product to
consumers, Futurelife products also have huge potential to be used for food aid. “We are already
working with organisations such as the Red Crescent in the UAE to get food aid to the areas which
need it most. We believe that there is potential for the brand’s growth in the UAE from a consumer
retail and food aid perspective,” says Harris.
Futurelife has gained the reputation of a credible health brand and has demonstrated phenomenal
growth of over 100% in the last four years. Perceived often as a brand in the cereal category,
Futurelife in fact has pioneered a new category, called functional foods - a term used to describe
food that beneficially affects one or more target functions in the body beyond adequate nutritional
effects.
The company is seen to be leading the field of functional foods in South Africa in a number of
respects, in particular product innovation. Futurelife has developed South Africa’s first Low GI
energy meal to contain clinically tested Moducare®, and immune supplement, and recently
pioneered the way in NON-GMO products.
“Having established a good foothold in the South African market, we have solid plans to grow our
footprint into other markets as well,” concludes Harris.
Ends
For further media queries please contact:
Natalie Norman
FleishmanHillard
+ 27 11 548 2000
natalie.norman@fleishman.co.za
Note to the editor:
About Futurelife
Initially born out of a desire to help disadvantaged people to eat more nutritious food and to offer
them a chance of a happy and healthy ‘future life’, the brand Futurelife has become one of the
fastest growing and most credible health brands in South Africa.
From very humble beginnings, Futurelife has over the past four years grown into South Africa’s
fastest growing health brand providing all-in-one health food products used by anyone who values
their health and aspires to be healthy. The customer base is very diverse from a professional
sportsman to diabetics and everyday individuals and families.
The secret to the success of Futurelife lies in the fact that they are designed to offer “convenient
health” all-in-one products that are nutritionally complete and balanced, can be enjoyed as a meal
or a shake and tastes great without the need to add any further sugar. The products mix instantly in
liquid and due to the growing trend of moving away from milk, it has been specially designed to
taste great by just adding water.