Functional Foods Continue to Gain Momentum

In early 2023, breakfast cereal manufacturer Post Consumer Brands announced the launch of a cereal called “Sweet Dreams.” The cereal will come in two flavors, blueberry and honey, and will be accentuated by lavender and chamomile and fortified with “a curated herbal blend and vitamins and minerals like zinc, folic acid, and B vitamins to support natural melatonin production.” A company press release stated: “More than ever, consumers are looking to embrace acts of self-care.”

The entrance of a major corporate cereal maker into the realm of these types of “self-care” foods is a reminder that, after a flare of popularity in the early years of the pandemic, “functional foods” are now becoming an established supermarket offering.

A few years ago, it might have seemed unlikely for consumers to expect food products to support claims that they can help prevent conditions such as cardiovascular disease; boost gut health and immunity, and promote mental health, well-being, and sleep. Today, food producers know that consumers are willing to pay a premium for those promised benefits.

Brian Chau, a food scientist and consultant based in San Jose, Calif., says the global “dietary supplements” market—which includes functional foods—is on track to hit $331.6 billion by the end of the decade. “The trend has accelerated since the pandemic,” Chau tells Food Quality & Safety, “but certainly has grown since the rise of the bar and powder supplement category. Functional foods are integrated into daily routines as pill [and] tablet fatigue is setting in for younger generations.  No longer do consumers expect just to eat when they’re hungry; they also see a meal or snack as an opportunity to improve health, without having to consume supplements separately in pill form.”

Chau notes that the increase of functional ingredients are primarily found in confections and beverages. He says that fortified gummy products are increasing in number, along with cookies, bars, chocolates, and drinks that are making functional claims.

Why Functional Foods?

Kantha Shelke, PhD, a senior lecturer at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and founder of nutrition research firm Corvus Blue, identifies a particular need that functional food serves for consumers. Generally, consumers choose functional foods because they feel these products reward their health, she says, but also because they see a social and moral incentive in taking care of themselves. For some, adding functional foods to their diet can be a way of advertising their lifestyle choices to others.

If consumers were already shifting away from taking vitamins and supplements in pill form, the pandemic was a mighty inducement. Sarah Johnson, PhD, director of the Functional Foods and Human Health Laboratory at Colorado State University’s College of Health and Human Sciences in Fort Collins, says the rise of functional foods was closely linked to the pandemic simply by how much more aware consumers became of health and disease. “Functional foods—or ‘superfoods,’ which is a more commonly used term—are definitely selling more than they were previously,” Dr. Johnson says. “Especially with the pandemic, consumers are looking for foods and beverages that can support their health, mitigate infection and adverse effects of COVID, and also promote mental health and well-being.”

What Are Functional Foods?

Dr. Johnson notes that “functional” foods are a difficult category to describe. Some foods—such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and grains—are inherently functional and confer significant health value to consumers. Many other functional foods, however, are either designed to be functional or simply boast that they contain functional ingredients.

The functionality of this second class of foods is harder to measure. “Some of those ingredients are at levels that can provide physiological effects and health benefits,” Dr. Johnson says, “while others may just be in there because they are known to have health benefits but are not provided at levels to be functional.”