LOW CALORIE SHAKE TO HIT THE MARKET

The University of the West Indies (UWI) has signed a landmark licensing and distribution agreement with Banks Holdings Ltd. (BHL) to introduce a new, locally produced, low-calorie shake to the market. Developed through years of research at UWI, the beverage is designed to provide significant health benefits, particularly for individuals managing diabetes.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at the Cave Hill campus, UWI Principal Professor Clive Landis linked the product’s origins to the Barbados Diabetes Reversal Study, which began in 2015.

“The journey of the idea came from 2015 when we undertook the Barbados Diabetes Reversal Study. We were able to demonstrate that you could reverse diabetes in Barbadians using low-calorie shakes as the foundation of a quite intensive six-week diet,” he explained. “All of this is underpinned by science, it’s all published in the academic literature, it’s all safe and ethically sound.”

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted access to imported low-calorie shakes that were central to the study, prompting UWI researchers to innovate by developing their own formula using locally sourced, plant-based ingredients.

“We were very fortunate to have a student who came to us as a qualified chef and is now pursuing a doctorate in public health. She was able to formulate our own shakes using plant-based, locally sourced ingredients that offer more exciting tropical flavors. These new shakes also contain no added sugars, unlike other similar products,” Landis noted.

The collaboration with PineHill Dairy—BHL’s subsidiary and part of the global beverage giant AB InBev—took over two years of testing and reformulation to ensure scalability. The final products, Taste the Caribbean and Tropical Green Fig, maintain the same protein and fiber content as other drinks in the sector but derive their natural sweetness from local ingredients like mango, pineapple, and sweet potato.

The new beverages are set to hit supermarket shelves before the end of the year, offering Barbadians a healthy, homegrown alternative in the functional drink market.

Caption: Khadija Marshall, Commercial Manager of Banks Breweries Barbados Ltd, signing the new licensing agreement with Principal of UWI Cave Hill Professor Clive Landis