2025
9
US Functional Ingredients in Food and Drink Market Report 2025
2025-10-30T10:01:56+00:00
REP47F99C90_9BC1_4400_82EB_BCCBEB2435CA
3695
188045
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Report
en_GB
About a quarter of consumers report that their budget limits their food choices, indicating a level of freedom that the majority have to purchase and explore at the grocery store.
US
Food
Drinks
Health and Wellness
simple

US Functional Ingredients in Food and Drink Market Report 2025

"Consumers have a willingness to invest and an interest to explore functional ingredients. Opportunities continue to revolve around strengthening trust and efficacy."

Kelsey Girard, Senior Food & Drink Analyst

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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for functional ingredients in food and drink
    • Opportunities
    • Proven benefits will only make the investment easier
    • Graph 1: behaviors related to functional ingredients/benefits in food and drink, 2025
    • Ritual engagement is there for the taking, with a focus on trust and efficacy
    • Position new product trial as explorative rather than reactive
    • Graph 2: experience and interest with select functional ingredients, 2025
  2. MARKET DYNAMICS

    • Consumers and the economic outlook
    • Market factors
    • Costs climb and consumers make cuts
    • Find functional accessibility by considering from-scratch applications
    • Graph 3: consumer eating habits, by financial situation, 2025
    • Consumers seek control in the midst of uncertainty
    • Graph 4: current health goals, 2025
    • Trust and transparency at the forefront of health and wellness
    • Graph 5: attitudes toward food and drink nutrition claims – NET – Agree, 2024
  3. CONSUMER INSIGHTS

    • Consumer fast facts
    • Trended approach to eating
    • Eating habits have endured, too
    • Graph 6: trended consumer eating habits, 2023-25
    • Younger generations seek convenience without a compromise on control
    • Graph 7: consumer eating habits, by generation, 2025
    • Functional ingredient usage, frequency of consumption and interest by food/drink category
    • Take a page from produce’s book to increase functionality and accessibility
    • Graph 8: consumption of functional ingredients in food and drink, 2025
    • The power of packing and stacking functional ingredients
    • Inherent benefits in the spotlight
    • Men and women tune into functional nutrition differently
    • Graph 9: consumption of functional ingredients in food and drink, by gender, 2025
    • Simplify the functional narrative and make discovery feel effortless and fun for younger shoppers
    • Graph 10: consumption of functional ingredients in food and drink, 2025
    • Current users catch onto the benefits of ritual consumption
    • Graph 11: frequency of functional ingredient consumption, 2025
    • Routes to ritualization
    • Functional ingredient formats can find pockets throughout the day
    • Graph 12: interest in functional ingredients in specific types of food and drink products, 2025
    • Consumption of foods/drinks with specific benefit claims
    • Wellbeing becomes interconnected with younger women, indicating cross category opportunity
    • Graph 13: consumption of food and drink products with specific benefit claims, by gender and age, 2025
    • Democratize wellness to make functional benefits attainable, not aspirational
    • Graph 14: consumption of food and drink products with specific benefit claims, by financial situation, 2025
    • Attitudes related to functional ingredients
    • Build trust by pairing efficacy with empathy
    • Graph 15: attitudes toward functional ingredients in food and drink, 2025
    • Take a holistic approach to positioning to match women’s holistic health needs
    • Graph 16: attitudes toward functional ingredients in food and drink, by gender, 2025
    • Go offline to position targeted solutions, too
    • Earn Gen X and Baby Boomer credibility with clarity and care
    • Graph 17: attitudes toward functional ingredients/benefits in food and drink, 2025
    • Placing digestible efficacy messaging front and center
    • Behaviors related to functional ingredients
    • There’s trust in the concept, but a gap in the experience with functional ingredients and benefits
    • Millennials stand out in functional ingredient enthusiasm…
    • Graph 18: behaviors related to functional ingredients/benefits in food and drink, by generation, 2025
    • Make functional nutrition feel like a smart, value-driven choice rather than an extra expense
    • Graph 19: behaviors related to functional ingredients/benefits in food and drink, by financial situation, 2025
    • Experience and interest with select functional ingredients
    • Interest in functional ingredient trial hovers around one in five
    • Graph 20: experience and interest with select functional ingredients, 2025
    • Generational trial and trust creates strong foundation for functional food and drink
    • Graph 21: experience with specific functional ingredients in food and drink – trial and perceived benefits, by generation, 2025
    • Bridge novelty with trust and cultural context
    • Graph 22: experience and interest with select functional ingredients – no current experience, but interest, by generation, 2025
  4. PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • Launch activity and innovation
    • GNPD food launches points to the growth to real food functionality
    • Graph 23: GNPD launches of food products with functional claims, by category, 2023-24
    • GNPD drink launches put the fun in functional
    • Graph 24: GNPD launches of drink products with functional claims, 2023-24
    • Kroger doubles down on private label protein
    • Drinks that multitask
    • The power of suggested wellness experiences
  5. APPENDIX

    • Market definition
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Generations
    • Abbreviations and terms

US Functional Ingredients Trends

  • About a quarter of US consumers report that their budget limits their food choices, indicating a level of freedom that the majority have to purchase and explore at the grocery store.
  • When it comes to functional ingredients, consumers are currently most likely to stick with more familiar and versatile options (fruit and vegetable superfoods), but exploration will be what drives the future of the market, and younger shoppers will play a large role.
  • Consumers are willing to invest the extra money in functional foods and drinks, and the connection between food/drink and self care is not lost, either. However, there is a missing link with efficacy, as just 26% report that they’ve noticed the benefits of consuming food/drinks with functional ingredients. Education is not only key to improving these perceptions, but it is something that consumers are seeking out to take their investment further.
  • Functional products that focus on positioning and formulations that welcome exploration while aiding in benefit maximization can support proactive approaches to holistic wellness in an approachable way.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • Trended approach to eating
  • Functional ingredient usage, frequency of consumption and interest by food/drink category
  • Consumption of foods/drinks with specific benefit claims
  • Attitudes and behaviors related to functional ingredients
  • Experience and interest with select functional ingredients
  • Functional food and drink product launches and innovation

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