Foods and drinks positioned as energy boosting in the UK are forecast to grow by almost 12% by 2021 and set to contribute over £1 billion to the health and wellness industry in the next five years, reports Euromonitor.

"The evolution of consumers priorities towards the consumption of natural foods and beverages is the main contributor to the health and wellness growth. Consumers are looking for minimally processed or unprocessed products, in line with the clean label trend, with an increasing desire for whole foods, ancient grains, green tea and plant based proteins from nuts and seeds," comments Maria Mascaraque, health and wellness analyst at Euromonitor.

"The ageing population is prioritising health whilst the millennials desire nutritional content and energy, with beverages and healthy snacks becoming the way to obtain the extra nutritional content. Both consumer groups are moving away from sugar, and rediscovering good carbs and supergrains. The move from one fits all to personalised products continues to grow and acquisitions form a major strategy for bringing in innovation, entering new markets and new categories."