The first baby boomers turned 65 in 2011. As more of the boomer generation reaches retirement age, the number of consumers 65-plus in the United States will burgeon from 40 million in 2010 to 72 million in 2030. Similar statistics can be seen around the world, with the highest percentages of seniors in Japan and Western Europe, and the highest population of seniors in China, whose citizenry swelled to 132 million people age 65-plus in 2011.

An aging world population of almost half a billion seniors age 65 and older has placed demands on food and beverage manufacturers to take a closer look at the nutritional needs of seniors, who battle chronic conditions affiliated with aging. Dairy ingredients are well positioned to help address these needs.