Consumer appetite for health-fortifying offerings has risen over the last year and has been accelerated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “In Tune with Immune” is now pegged as one of Innova Market Insights’ Top Trends for 2021, reflecting how immunity and health will steer the development of functional ingredients in the coming years.

“Beyond established segments for immune health NPD, like supplements, baby food and sports nutrition, product innovation has expanded its horizon into more mainstream product categories according to the Innova Database,” Chang Liu, market analyst at Innova Market Insights, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“Some examples include beverages, cereals and dairy. We have tracked such products highlighting ingredients like botanicals, vitamins, minerals and probiotics with functions including boosting the immune system and supporting defense.

According to Innova’s Consumer Survey 2020, six out of ten global consumers are increasingly looking for F&B products that support their immune health, with one in three saying that concerns about immune health increased in 2020 over 2019.

“Immunity-boosting ingredients will play a significant role for the coming year, while research and interest in the role of the microbiome and personalized nutrition as ways to strengthen immunity will accelerate,” details Lu Ann Williams, global insights director at Innova Market Insights.

More than half of consumers are gaining label literacy
Innova Market Insights research also indicated that 54 percent of global consumers claimed to have spent time educating themselves on ingredients and procedures that could boost their immune health in the wake of concerns over COVID-19. 

As might be expected in the light of this, the use of immune health positionings for food and drinks is rising, with 1.7 percent of global launches over the first ten months of 2020 using this type of claim, up from just 1 percent five years previously.

“According to the Innova Database, 16 percent of global F&B new product launches tracked in 2019 with active health claims are related to immune health,” remarks Liu. 

“New product innovation featuring immune benefits also has witnessed an annual average growth of 16 percent from 2015 to 2019.”

Also prominent was getting enough sleep for good health, which has inspired relevant NPD over the last year. Examples include myAir’s personalized nutrition bars, which use adaptogens and plant-based ingredients to address stress. Meanwhile, PepsiCo’s Driftwell drink features L-Theanine and magnesium to help consumers wind down before bedtime.

Fortifying the microbiome with functional food
The link is also increasingly being made between probiotics, prebiotics and immune support. Consumer awareness of the benefits of probiotics is still gaining traction, with its relationship to gut health and a strong immune system increasingly being made clear.

“More than a third of F&B launches tracked with immune health claims are related to digestive/gut health. Probiotics and prebiotics are the highlighted ingredients when it comes to gut health,” says Liu.

“We do see the diversification and fragmentation of probiotic ingredients being applied in products featuring gut health benefits. For instance, there is a 79 percent of growth for F&B and supplement products with Lactobacillus reuteri from 2015 to 2019 on the global level,” she continues.

“With ongoing research and technology breakthrough, we expect more types of probiotics and prebiotics to be applied for gut health.”

Prebiotics have generally been slower to establish themselves in the consumer consciousness; although they have been around for many years, it is only relatively recently that they have started to move into the mainstream. 

Innova Market Insights also reports a 20 percent global growth for food and beverage launches with prebiotics in 2018 over 2017 and a further rise of over 13 percent for 2019. 

Often used in combination with probiotics, prebiotics are featured across a range of food and drinks launches, led by baby & toddler products, ahead of soft drinks and dairy products.