To the surprise of absolutely no one, consumer interest in functional ingredients has skyrocketed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the threat of a deadly and highly contagious virus looming over every imaginable activity, the desire to protect ourselves from such a potentially ravaging disease is simply natural. The implications for the F&F industry and consumer product companies are immense.
According to Tim Brown, sales and marketing director for Lionel Hitchen Ltd., “In March of [2020], there was a reported increase in U.S. consumer interest in the immune system of around 66% month on montha.”
Even before the pandemic, consumer health and wellness trends, including the natural and clean label movements, were expected to drive the functional food ingredients market to $94.21 billion by 2023, according to a Markets and Markets reportb.
Now, after a year of living with COVID-19 restrictions, those consumer trends are clearly driving industry responses, with many dedicating research and resources toward developing products with functional benefits—especially immunity claims.
For the full article, please check out Perfumer & Flavorist's February 2021 issue.
Footnotes:
awww.perfumerflavorist.com/flavor/trends/podcast-the-future-of-functional-571422381.html
bwww.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/functional-food-ingredients-market-9242020.html
