Barriers to innovation in the medical nutrition industry: A quantitative key opinion leader analysis

• Innovation is essential in dynamic and complex industries such as the medical nutrition industry.
• Studying barriers to innovation provides insight into the dynamics of innovation, which simultaneously is a first step in the process of overcoming them.
• There are currently nine exogenous barriers inhibiting medical nutrition innovation.
• These barriers range from financial and clinical research associated barriers to consumer acceptance barriers.

Innovation is a necessity for survival in dynamic and complex industries such as the medical nutrition industry. To remain competitive, medical nutrition companies must embrace innovation activities that improve productivity. Nevertheless, innovation is a difficult undertaking and companies must first overcome numerous barriers inhibiting innovation. Studying these barriers provides insight into the dynamics of innovation, which simultaneously is a first step in the process of overcoming them. This study investigates the exogenous barriers that inhibit medical nutrition innovation.Primary data was collected by qualitative interviews from 17 medical nutrition key opinion leaders (KOLs) through and quantitative data by means of a questionnaire from 77 KOLs. Medical nutrition innovation barriers were identified and ranked according to importance.This study shows that barriers impact all steps of the medical nutrition value chain. Nine main innovation barriers emerged from the research. The most significant barriers are associated with financial aspects and clinical research, whereas the least significant are associated with product barriers. Medical nutrition companies must realize that investment in innovation is and remains crucial within this industry.

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