The Future of Functional Food & Drinks - successful product positioning and claims

Synopsis
“The Future of Functional Food & Drinks - successful product positioning and claims” provides a comprehensive overview of the functional food and drink landscape, analyzing the regulatory and consumer drivers to identify the best opportunities and strategies. Innovation hubs are identified: Europe for regulation, Japan for product development, the US for consumer demand, and Brazil, India, and China for emerging markets. In addition, the report segments the functional food and drinks market by health claim and consumer age groups, and studies the future of four key trends in the market: probiotics, glucose control, performance muscle and prevention muscle, and cognitive performance in adults. Key ingredients are identified in each of these areas. Finally, the future of the functional food and drinks market is considered.
Scope
“The Future of Functional Food & Drinks - successful product positioning and claims” provides a roadmap for identifying future trends in the functional food and drinks market.
In particular, this report includes:

• A review of the current state of the regulatory landscape in major markets and the implications for the functional food and drinks market
• Analysis of how the functional food and drinks market can be segmented. It looks at functional food and drinks in terms of the relationship of claims to performance, prevention and treatment, and how these performance, prevention and treatment claims map onto consumer age groups and site-specific benefits
• Analysis of four key trends in functional food and drinks: the future of probiotics and assessment of the clinical evidence in probiotics, mainstreaming of glucose control, performance muscle and prevention muscle, and cognitive performance in adults
• Identification of the key consumer groups for health claims, how much consumers trust food and drinks manufacturers (on health claims), and what claims resonate with consumers
• Evaluation of the future of the functional food and drink market, including the clinical trials bell curve, the clear establishment of ‘senior’ nutraceutical products, the question mark over innovative ingredients, and the continued role for lifestyle products.
Summary
• As a result of stringent regulation, Europe has become the global hub for functional food and drinks clinical trials, while Japan remains by far and away the centre of functional innovation. But the largest number of functional food and drink consumers is in the US – especially as a market for lifestyle health products
• As the quality of clinical data supporting health claims improves, we expect to see deeper segmentation of target audiences for functional products. We also expect an ongoing tension in whether products are marketed as being more natural, or more ‘scientific’ or a hybrid
• We have identified four key trends in the evolving functional food and drink market: the future of probiotics and assessment of the clinical evidence in probiotics, the mainstreaming of glucose control, performance muscle and prevention muscle, and cognitive performance in adults
• Health is often not a prime consideration when consumers come to select what food and drink to consume; other motivations are more pressing, meaning consumers are likely to select an unhealthy product if it better meets their needs. Even where there is clear clinical evidence that a product or ingredient can improve health outcomes, the functional benefit may be better positioned as a solution for busy lives or changing lifestyles, or even just as expression of individualism.
Reasons To Buy
• This report allows marketers to update their product and innovation strategies to make the most of new opportunities in the functional food and drink market
• The conceptual frameworks and consumer data used throughout the report allow manufacturers to quickly identify what health needs and consumer groups should be targeted, and with what ingredients
• Knowledge of the functional food and drink regulatory and consumer landscape will allow manufacturers to successfully position and market their product in a rapidly changing environment.