Summary: Longevity, weight control and food innovation are all driven by longevity and weight management.
- The market for longevity is $23bn and will reach $63bn in 2035.
- Consumers aged over 50 want energy-supporting products and cognitive support
- The longevity market is booming with the rise of adaptogens, nootropics and mushrooms.
- The weight loss market is worth $142 billion and it’s growing quickly
- Weight-management products that are based on science, delivered with results and tailored to lifestyles will be popular among consumers.
Food and beverage companies are always chasing the latest trends. The food and beverage industry is always chasing trends.
What is most important to the consumer right now?
Lumina Intelligence’s research, commissioned by FoodNavigator exclusively, found that weight loss and longevity continue to be the most popular topics.
What makes food and beverages so popular, and what can they do to keep up with these trends?
The longevity market, which currently has a $23bn value (EUR20bn), is expected to triple in size ($63bn) within the next 10 years. (filadendron/Image: Getty/filadendron)
Longevity
It is undeniable that the trend of longevity has grown rapidly. It’s become so large, that it is now considered its own market.
Market Research Future, market analysts: With a $23bn value (EUR20bn), it is expected that the longevity industry will almost triple to $63bn over the next decade.
Nandini Choudhury is a principal consultant at Future Market Insights, specializing in food and beverages. She says that consumers are now more interested in longevity.
She says that this shift can be explained by the convergence of 3 market forces.
- Demographics: Western populations are aging, with older people being more digitally savvy, affluent and self-reliant than previous generations. The focus is less on illness, but rather on preserving their function, such as mobility, cognition and energy.
- Biohacking as a preventive measure: This new understanding has made ageing more modifiable. Wearables and continuous tracking devices, as well as at-home tests for biomarkers have helped to make risk factors more visible, and enabled people to take action.
- After the pandemic, reset your life: Consumers now view ingredients and results through the lens of prevention.
On the other hand, the brands that are supplying the products have normalised the language of longevity by incorporating familiar terms such as stress, sleep and metabolic health under the “ageing well” umbrella.
The idea of a ‘healthy aging’ set is also being promoted by retailers, who are curating sets that include functional drinks, supplements and prepared foods.
Longevity: Functional Ingredients
The functional food and drink industry has a value of approximately $398bn. It is projected to grow even more, reaching $793 billion by 2032 according to market experts Fortune Business Insights.
Like all other health and wellbeing trends, longevity has also seen a growth in popularity. What ingredients do consumers want in longevity products?
Choudhury, from Future Market Insights, says that the ingredients with promising safety profiles and emerging evidence are those which touch on multiple ageing pathways, such as inflammation, mitochondrial functions, metabolic control, or stress responses.
Choudhury says that three clusters stand out.
- Medicinal mushrooms (lion’s mane, reishi, chaga, cordyceps etc. ): Cordyceps, for example, is a medicinal mushroom that combines beta-glucans to modulate the immune system with compounds known to improve sleep and stress resistance (reishi), as well as perceived energy/VO2 (cordyceps). The mushroom also “stacks” the benefits of immune support, gut support (prebiotic fibers) and stress to promote healthy ageing.
- Adaptogens (ashwagandha, rhodiola, ginseng, tulsi etc. ): Chronic stress increases biological ageing. The use of adaptogens with their consistent data in human sleep, perceived stress and mild cognitive function translate well to longevity stories.
- Nootropics (citicoline, L-theanine, bacopa, phosphatidylserine etc. ): The fear of ageing is the primary concern for cognitive health. The combination of nootropics with Omegas and B Complex can help improve attention, mental fatigue, and working memory.
The focus on longevity has become a wellness trend that is reshaping the consumer’s habits, and driving innovations in food and beverages. Functional ingredients that target resilience, cognition and stress gain popularity as ageing well is becoming a lifestyle choice.
(Image: Getty/nensuria) (Image: Getty/nensuria)
Weight loss
With the introduction of GLP-1 medications, weight loss is a big business.
Grand View Research, market researchers, estimate that it is already well worth over $142 billion and will reach $298 billion by the end the decade.
FoodNavigator’s findings show that weight loss is ranked lower in global charts (#8) than longevity (#2), indicating that it’s still a huge industry but it has remained a niche within the health and wellness sector. If you’re wondering, getting more sleep took top honors.
While the percentage of consumers prioritising weight-loss may be less than those who prioritize longevity, market opportunities for products that serve this sector are just as strong.
Choudhury, of Future Market Insights says that “lower total mentions along with high priority indicates a focused and motivated segment which behaves differently than the general public.” These consumers are high-level in terms of goal commitment, willingness for payment for effectiveness, and tolerating habit changes – as long as they see real progress within weeks.
Choudhury explains that brands should approach this segment as an athlete’s playbook, with structured protocols, progress monitoring, and staged products systems (kickoff, cut-off, stabilisation, maintenance).
She says that consumers should be approached using a two-track approach:
- Clinical-style bundles: Electrolytes, high-satisfaction protein, fibre-preloads and glucose-stabilizing snacks are all accompanied by tools that focus on caffeine/theanine, along with behaviour scaffolding such as app check-ins. habit stacking.
You can also find out more about the following:
- Lifestyle-friendly formats: Ready-to drink, portion controlled, savoury and high-protein “treat” replacements, that will collapse friction when trigger moments occur (late at night, on the road, etc.). ).
Weight loss with functional ingredients
Sales of weight-loss products and functional foods are also growing rapidly.
- Protein: The most popular ingredient in weight loss is protein. It has multiple benefits, including satiety, thermogenic effect, preservation of lean mass during caloric deficiency, and smoothing the glycemic response when combined with carbohydrates. The ingredient is easy to explain to the consumer, simple to add to food products and widely accepted across all diets.
Other ingredients, however, are also gaining in popularity and have the potential to enhance results.
- Prebiotics blends and viscous fibres (glucomannan inulin resistant starch, etc.) ): They improve fullness and lower glucose levels after meals, as well as supporting microbiome changes linked to appetite regulation.
- Hydration and electrolytes strategiesSubtle, but effective, on energy intake, exercise compliance, and snacking control
- Polyphenols: (apple catechins, bergamots, green tea catechins, etc.) ): Direct effects are modest – they work best when used as an adjunct in metabolic stacks.
Choudhury, from Future Market Insights says that “protein is still the main on-ramp.” But brands that combine the right amount of protein with fibers and micronutrients like magnesium, potassium, etc., will deliver superior results. “But brands that pair dose-right protein with fibres, micronutrients (magnesium, potassium etc.) deliver superior real world adherence and results – particularly for midlife consumers who are protecting lean masses.
(Image: Getty/VioletaStoimenova) As consumers place greater emphasis on long-term results and health, food and beverage companies have a unique opportunity to deliver lifestyle-aligned, science-backed solutions. (Image: Getty/VioletaStoimenova)
Potential of food and beverages
Food and beverage companies have a unique opportunity to deliver lifestyle solutions that are backed by science and aligned with consumer priorities.
Brands that are innovative and have integrity will succeed in addressing the needs of consumers, helping them to achieve their goals, whether they’re promoting healthy aging or weight loss.
Future Food – the Inside scoop on Consumer Insights
FoodNavigator’s and Lumina Intelligence’s new report reveals the consumer barriers for adopting new technologies and ingredients as well as ultra-processed food, as they also reveal opportunities to drive sales and change.
Total 9,500 consumer surveys were conducted in 13 different countries, including the UK, US (including Canada), China, Japan and South Korea; France, Germany, Italy and Spain; Australia, India, Malaysia and Singapore.