July 4, 2025 – The consumer landscape is shifting, with health and wellness becoming key priorities that extend beyond traditional markets. This change is influenced by demographic, social, and economic factors, which are altering how individuals approach their lives and purchasing decisions.
Key trends such as an aging population, rising obesity rates, and limited access to quality healthcare and nutritious food are pushing consumers to take greater control of their health. This shift toward proactive health management is driving demand for products and lifestyle changes that support prevention and wellbeing. Trending in Functional Food: Tailoring Nutrition to Consumer Needs – Global explores how consumers are redefining health priorities and how brands are responding across categories like functional foods, beverages, and mental health products. As part of Innova’s 360 Hot Topics Reports, it offers focused, timely insight into the evolving issues shaping the food and beverage landscape.
Why Consumers Are Now Prioritizing Health and Wellbeing?
The global landscape of health and wellness is undergoing a transformation, driven by several key trends. An aging population, coupled with rising obesity rates and challenges in accessing quality healthcare and nutritious food, is placing immense pressure on existing healthcare systems and escalating consumer concerns.
This shift is evident with the rise of the older generation, whose changing lifestyles and aspirations are focusing on health and vitality. Overall, food trends show that consumers are now prioritizing health and wellbeing above nearly everything else, with a percentage having taken substantial action to live healthier in the past year, and more are adopting a proactive approach to healthy living. Beyond essential living costs, health and wellbeing rank as a top spending priority for consumers worldwide.
How is Mental Wellness impacting Functional Food?
Mental wellness is moving from a mere aspiration to an actionable goal, driving innovation in functional food. A global sentiment indicates that feeling well is intrinsically linked to feeling mentally happy and positive, with stress and anxiety being primary mental health concerns. Despite this, only a quarter of consumers globally have purchased functional food or beverages specifically for stress and anxiety in the past year, highlighting a market opportunity.
Brands are beginning to tap into this demand, with examples like functional fruit juices incorporating ingredients like turmeric for stress relief and vitamin C for its protective qualities. There’s a clear opportunity to leverage vitamins, with data showing an increase in new food and beverage launches with a brain claim containing B vitamins. Beyond vitamins, botanical ingredients are also emerging as promising avenues for mental wellbeing support, with innovations in beverages like a bedtime milk that contains stress-reducing and sleep-enhancing botanicals.
Physical Wellness and Targeted Innovations
With weight management leading the charge, physical wellness remains a core concern. A notable gap exists between consumer concern and purchasing behavior in this area. Brands are actively responding with targeted innovations, particularly for users of GLP-1 agonists. One brand, for instance, has launched a GLP-1 support menu featuring high-protein smoothies, while another product on the market offers dietary supplements tailored for individuals on GLP-1 medications, focusing on muscle maintenance, digestion, and nutrient replenishment.
Alongside weight management, heart health is another physical health concern, particularly in Europe, where it’s the second-highest priority. A considerable number of new heart health-claimed launches in Europe include supplements, indicating a strong growth area.
The broader wellness shift encompasses energy and immunity, which are key drivers for healthy aging innovations, topping global health claims in new food and beverage launches related to healthy aging. Some examples of products that exist are a superfood-rich snack that features reishi mushrooms, which are recognized for supporting the immune system. Likewise, there is a coffee that claims to improve memory and cognitive health, giving energy, and reducing blood glucose spikes.
What’s Next in Functional Food?
Looking ahead, while balanced nutrition is universally desired, generational differences necessitate personalized innovation. This means tailoring nutritional solutions to meet individual needs across various life stages and health goals. Food trends reveal that skin health is also emerging as a key component of overall wellness, fueling demand for beauty-boosting functional food and beverages. A portion of global consumers seek a healthier lifestyle to enhance their appearance, and there has been a noticeable growth in new food and beverage launches with skin claims.
Innovation in functional food and beverages addressing mental health benefits is poised to intensify as mental wellness becomes a top consumer priority. Brands can succeed by aligning with emotional needs, creating products that support mental health while resonating with the growing desire for wellbeing.
While physical wellbeing remains important, consumers focus on areas like weight management, heart health, and healthy aging, creating ample opportunities for brands to develop functional products with clear messaging. Brands are recognizing the importance of personalized nutrition, offering tailored solutions that cater to specific dietary needs and health goals across different life stages.
This article is based on Innova’s Tailoring Nutrition to Consumer Needs – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
