Gone are the days when a beverage or snack only addressed satiety as consumer search data into trending functional ingredients reveals how mood foods are reshaping new product development.
A note about the data
CPG Radar’s AI-driven platform delivers insights, trends and analyses on consumer-packaged goods, providing insights that help brands make informed decisions on market dynamics, emerging product trends and shifting consumer preferences. For this article, CPG Radar combed through its database to identify 1260 functional beverages, exclusively for FoodNavigator-USA.
Spate’s trend analytics platform uses AI to identify emerging consumer trends by analyzing online searches in the food and beverage, wellness and beauty industries, helping brands identify growth opportunities and understand consumer interests for targeted product innovation and marketing strategies. Its Google search data for this article compares year-over-year growth from Oct. 2023 to Sept. 2024 vs Oct. 2022 to Sept. 2023.
Vitamins and minerals highlight everyday wellness
Fortified beverages with vitamins and minerals, like vitamin B complex, vitamin C, magnesium and zinc make up 57% of the top functional ingredients in beverages, according to CPG Radar. These ingredients are of growing interest for consumers who are looking to meet their daily nutrient requirements while supporting immunity, bone health and increased energy in a convenient RTD beverages.
Consumers’ interest in high-quality nutrients also coincides with Google searches around water safety (up 14.2% YoY) and microplastics in drinks (+202.6% YoY), according to Spate.
Ingredients supporting stress and energy
Botanical extracts make up 22% of the top ingredients in functional beverages, according to CPG Radar. A growing interest in extracts from rhodiola, ashwagandha, ginseng and turmeric for their adaptogenic, nootropic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits in beverages provide support for stress, energy and cognitive focus.
Turmeric coffee (+125.9% YoY), one of Google’s top searches for functional beverages, indicates a strong interest in metabolic support and anti-inflammation grows; while searches for calming teas (+13.5% YoY) with herbs like spearmint (+80.3%) for sleep are gaining traction as natural solutions, according to Spate.
Spate’s search data indicates consumers’ interest in foods centered around performance-enhancement and overall wellbeing. Searches for fat-burning and anti-inflammatory products, like fat-burning coffee, which saw a 382.2% year-over-year increase, also aligns with the rise of adaptogens in beverages targeting metabolic health and immunity resilience.
Functional mushrooms address growing interest in performance-enhancement, overall well-being
Mushrooms make up 9% of the top functional ingredients in wellness beverages and continue to steadily rise in popularity across beverages. Lion’s mane, reishi and cordyceps are touted for immunity, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits that support cognitive function and overall well-being, according to CPG Radar. Other mushrooms, like turkey tail and chaga, may help reduce inflammation and serve as natural vehicles for consumers to address everyday stress and long-term health.
Probiotics and prebiotics: Supporting gut health
With an 82.7% YoY growth in searches for digestive wellness, according to Spate, ingredients that aid in digestion and gut health highlight the potential for prebiotics and probiotics to help support these issues. Prebiotics and probiotics make up 1% of the top ingredients in general functional beverages, like kombucha, according to CPG Radar.
Natural sweeteners: Flavor without the calories
With consumers demanding lower-calorie options, natural sweeteners, like stevia, monk fruit and erythritol, make up 15% of the top ingredients in functional beverages, according to CPG Radar. These sweeteners enhance taste without adding calories, accommodating diets that are low-calorie or low-carb.
Increased searches for zero-calorie snacks, including chocolate syrup, dip and milk, suggest consumers’ preferences for guilt-free indulgence, according to Spate.
Fruit and vegetable juices: Antioxidant-rich, nutrient-dense additions
Juices from nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables like pomegranate, acerola cherry, beet and apple, among others are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that consumers seek, while providing natural flavor. Natural juices make up 21% of the top functional ingredients in beverages, contributing to benefits like immune support, improved circulation and skin health, according to CPG Radar.
Special Edition: Mood food for mental wellbeing – How can industry capitalize?
This story is part of a collection of original reporting by FoodNavigator-USA exploring the business opportunities and potential pitfalls of making and marketing mood-boosting foods & beverages.
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Caffeine sources support focus, physical performance
Caffeine sources, like green tea, coffee and yerba mate, make up 19% of the top functional ingredients in beverages, based on CPG Radar data. The ingredient is a staple in energy drinks for its focus-enhancing and performance-boosting effects, particularly for brands creating cognitive-enhancing or pre-workout beverages.