Is Hoodia a Real Weight Loss Solution?
Pretty soon you could see a plant used to lessen hunger pangs be added to meals in order to suppress the appetite. It is derived from a plant used by African tribes to help fight hunger, and pretty soon it could be on America’s tables.
Unilever is currently developing a vast array of diet aids that are somewhat similar to the classic “Slim-Fast.” The aids will contain an extract of the African succulent plant Hoodia. Just last month Unilever and Phytopharm agreed on the commercialized rights to use the plant.
Investors were quite happy about the agreement as Phytopharm stock rose by 11% and the business became valued at $190 million dollars.
Hoodia has been used for many generations amongst the Bushmen in South Africa to help ease the hunger pangs of its tribesmen when food was lacking. In South Africa the Bushmen have experienced a shortage of food for a long time, as they have been oppressed in the modern day world with high unemployment rates and high rates of poverty. They survive on food donations of powdered milk and a corn meal, and Hoodia has often been used to help.
This plant used to help hunger in a third world will be used to suppress it in the developed world. More than 20% of the developed world is obese, and the United States of America is the main sufferer of obesity. Obesity is a $120 billion dollar hickey a year on the U.S. economy, and many drug companies are seeking to find a cure that will allow them a market share in this $120 billion problem.
Phytopharm has had their eye on the $120 billion dollar problem for quite some time now. Phytopharm has researched plants in order to sure such ailments as Alzheimer’s and even arthritis in canines. Phytopharm had been researching and developing Hoodia with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer but that deal went sour as costs of extracting the main ingredient were too high.
Once the deal with Pfizer went south, Phytopharm quickly struck a deal with Unilever. Unilever is well known for many products such as Slim Fast and ironically Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. Unilever already holds a great market share in the weight loss section as it has marketed and produced Slim Fast for many years. The market for Slim Fast has recently seen a slump as the introduction of many new diets has flooded the market. (i.e. Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, etc.)
Over the next three years Unilever has plans to pour over $40 million into the development of Hoodia based food and drink products. According to the deal Phytopharm stands to receive an undisclosed amount of money and residuals from the sales of the products produced and sold by Unilever.
If the project stays on track there could be great rewards for both companies. Estimates of sales in the billions have been made as obesity has been coined as “the biggest epidemic facing the Western World.”
The Bushmen of South Africa could also see a huge benefit (although much smaller than Unilever and Phytopharm) from the sale of Hoodia based products. It is said that the South African research agency that licensed the rights to the plant to Phytopharm will receive a good amount of money for the sale of products, but the Bushmen will only receive about 6% of the profit.
The trust that will consist of the Bushmen’s share is still in the works of being established, but it is said that it currently will hold about $45,000 US. This money has been reserved for Bushmen council offices and infrastructure which is well lacking at the moment. It is also said that this money will pay for the younger generation of Bushmen to get them educated (as there is a great lack) and to buy back much of the land that was taken from the Bushmen over the years. This money will allow them a sense of security that has been lacking for a long time.
There is quite a sense of irony involved with the whole Hoodia situation. Many are attempting to exploit the plant as it is becoming rare, while Unilever is setting up plantations to grow the plant. The thin line between those with out and those with plenty is drawn. It is also clear that the billions that the corporations stand to make will provide much needed thousands that will make a difference in the lives of the Bushmen. The western epidemic could provide a new life for those in need in Africa.