The Future of Functional Food and Beverages in Asia Pacific

Delivery

This report comes in PPT.

Key findings

Consumers in Asia prioritise mental wellbeing, sleep and immunity in their health

Understanding consumers’ desired physical, mental and emotional wellbeing goals helps food and beverage companies select suitable ingredients and positioning. In Asia Pacific, three health concerns to prioritise are mental wellbeing, getting enough sleep and having a healthy immune system, although priorities tend to vary across the different markets.

Physical need states are focused primarily on immune support and energy boosting

Food and beverage products with physical need states in Asia Pacific are predominantly positioned for immune support and energy boosting. This is largely because functional ingredients tend to overlap with immune system health, in addition to specific benefits, while ingredients like caffeine have both flavouring and energy-boosting benefits.

Mental and emotional need states offer new opportunities for functional ingredients

Awareness of mental and emotional wellbeing, such as stress relief and sleep, has gained traction as consumers become more self-discerning and adjust their diets for benefits beyond physical health. Ingredients like GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), camomile and ginger incorporated into food and beverages address mood management and achieve mental balance.

New health positioning opportunities await through meeting consumer need states

Adopting an end-goal approach in catering to consumer need states may unlock new health positioning opportunities. This includes exploring growth segments within nascent need states, and understanding potential consumer profiles. Nevertheless, it is also necessary to understand existing preferences in mature functional food and beverages markets, such as Japan.