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The Top 10 Functional Food Trends

Consumers are re-prioritizing wellness goals, seeking out healthy hydration, and pursuing new approaches to weight loss—all of which have the potential to ignite functional food and beverage sales.
Man resting from running and drinking water while standing against the wall
FT_Liz_Sloan A. Elizabeth Sloan

Food Technology Magazine

Nearly three-quarters of global consumers are now aware of functional foods and beverages—products that provide a health benefit beyond nutrition—and just over half plan to increase their use, according to HealthFocus International’s 2024 Global Trend Study.

In the United States, retail sales of healthy food and drink reached $320 billion in combined mass, convenience, and natural channels in 2024, and they are estimated by SPINS to top $384 billion by 2028.

Six in 10 U.S. consumers agree that food can be “as powerful as medicine,” Circana reports.

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Hero Image: © millann/istock/getty images plus

Authors

  • FT_Liz_Sloan

    A. Elizabeth Sloan President

    A. Elizabeth Sloan, PhD, is CEO and president of consumer trends consultancy Sloan Trends Inc. and a longtime contributing editor of Food Technology magazine. A veteran of work in industry, media, and public relations, Sloan received a PhD in food science and technology from the University of Minnesota.  

Categories

  • Food Business Trends

  • Food Health Nutrition

  • Consumer and Marketplace Trends

  • Food Product Development

  • Food Ingredients and Additives

  • New Product Development

  • Market Trends

  • Functional Foods

  • Diet and Health

  • Food Technology Magazine