7 Emerging Trends in Functional Food
How Healthy Eating Shapes Gen Z & Millennials
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Functional Wellness in the Spotlight
Back in 2005, during my time at Coca Cola's Trainees program, I had the privilege of contributing to a strategic project aimed at identifying potential new beverage categories for the company. My job was to look into functional drinks already popular in the USA and Europe. I was even lucky enough to try many of them :)
One product that really grabbed my attention back then was a French water that supposedly sped-up skin tanning. Since then, I've been passionate about exploring new ideas in functional foods.
These days, how we see nutrition has shifted. It's not just about eating for the sake of filling our stomachs anymore. Now, there's this whole concept of functional health. Fundamentally, functional health is based on the idea that nutrition may be a proactive, purposeful instrument for promoting overall wellness.
Aligning Consumer Preferences with Emerging Health Trends
To understand consumer preferences, Lifesum surveyed Gen Z and Millennials, giving us a glimpse into how they see functional health options. This report explores the fundamentals of customized nutrition and how it is becoming the cornerstone of success in the field of well-being.
Gen Z and Millennials Are Eating for Functional Health:
Additionally, 46% showed interest in eating foods for healthier skin, showing they know food can affect how their skin looks and feels.
The connection between diet and hormonal balance also caught attention, with 43% wanting to eat for better hormone health.
Lastly, 40% wanted to eat foods that could help them sleep better, which is a common worry in today's busy lives.
What Are the Main Emerging Trends in Functional Eating?
Functional Snacking and Culinary Experiences: Snacks are getting healthier with energy bars and gut-friendly trail mixes, while restaurants are adding anti-inflammatory ingredients and superfoods to their menus.
Cognitive-enhancing Ingredients: Prepare for a blend of food and cognitive health, with omega-3s, antioxidants, and adaptogens to combat stress.
Probiotic Growth: Get ready for more probiotic-rich snacks like yogurts and fermented foods, plus probiotic-infused drinks, boosting gut health.
Collagen-infused Delicacies: Collagen, popular in skincare, will soon be found in diverse foods like powdered drinks and protein bars, offering joint and skin benefits, blending skincare with nutrition.
Adaptogenic Elixirs: Expect adaptogens, known for stress relief, to be found in a wide range of food and drinks like adaptogenic teas and mushroom latte powders.
Sleep-Inducing Ingredients: Consumers are increasingly drawn to foods with sleep-enhancing elements like melatonin and magnesium from various sources.
Hormone-Balancing Foods: As the push for natural hormone balance grows, anticipate more foods packed with key nutrients like omega-3s, iron, and vitamin D, catering to diverse hormonal needs.
The Impact of the Netflix Series: 'Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones
The desire for a longer and healthier life is widespread among Gen Z and Millennials, positioning them as leaders in the longevity movement. In fact, 51% of them actively engage in activities aimed at promoting healthy aging.
The Functional Beverage Market
The functional beverages market hit nearly $147.5 billion in 2022 and is set to grow to $276.1 billion by 2032.
Big players dominate the market, with the top ten competitors making up almost 43% of it in 2021. This dominance comes from offering a range of products that fit what consumers want and having strong distribution networks.
Top Competitors:
PepsiCo Inc.: 7.35%
The Coca-Cola Company: 7.10%
Red Bull GmbH: 5.77%
Danone: 4.55%
Nestle S.A: 4.32%
Monster Beverage Corporation: 4.05%
Dr. Pepper Snapple Group: 3.83%
Fonterra Co-Operative Group Ltd: 2.15%
Kraft Heinz Company: 1.91%
Abbott: 1.76%
3 Companies Pioneering Innovative Functional Drinks
Ketone-IQ: the company has developed a family of products steeped in the legacy of endurance athletics, designed to function for every day use. Ketone-IQ gives you a boost in clean energy that only specialized ketones can deliver.
Investment: Ketone-IQ has raised a total of $8.2 million in funding over 3 rounds. Andreessen Horowitz is among its investorsOlipop: is a deliciously refreshing tonic that is crafted with prebiotics, botanicals and natural plant fiber to support the microbiome and benefit digestive health.
Investment: has raised a total of $43.5 million in funding from Monogram Capital Partners, Dwight Funding, Finn Capital Partners and Peter Rahal, founder of RxBar.KetoKare: is a plant-based keto shake designed to help you easily reach and maintain a state of ketosis. Keto Kare emerged as a winner in the Nestlé Health startup challenge last February.
Functional Eating Is No Longer Just a Trend
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P.S. I used some of the following sources to obtain the data for this article:
(1) Lifesum, 2024 State of Healthy Eating and Wellbeing Report (2) AHFES (3) researchandmarkets (4) Techcrunch (5) Photo by Boxed Water Is Better on Unsplash
