Key takeaways

Consumers will continue to demonstrate a proactive approach to health and wellness, looking to address issues even if not showing symptoms and being satisfied with that area of health. Whilst inevitable future variants of COVID-19 will heighten the urgency of addressing health, this is more a long-term trend driven by people wanting to stay fit and active until as late in life as possible. Health goals will be focused on disease management and reducing vulnerability to illness.

Over the next couple of years, people will look to tackle a variety of health areas, especially immunity and digestive health, two areas of wellbeing that many feel are interlinked. This is a trend that will intensify as more people become aware of the microbiome and the role it plays towards health. Given that the prevalence of digestive health problems continues to rise across the globe, there will be more urgency than ever before in addressing these issues. High levels of uncertainty over the previous years have further accelerated high levels of stress, anxiety, and poor sleep health – meaning more consumers will be looking to address their mental wellbeing.

The desire to maximize wellbeing is something that will have a direct impact on eating and drinking habits. Firstly, consumers are seeking out functional and fortified products that blur the boundaries between traditional groceries and medicine. Consumers will want active ingredient and benefit claims, and a variety of claims will be associated with maximum efficacy and convenience, and as a result, value for money. However, it is crucial that brands validate health claims made on packaging. Secondly, consumers will adopt a back-to-basic approach to nutrition, something helped by changing lifestyle factors enabling them to have more time in the kitchen. This means that people will turn to fresh food that they deem natural and nutritious, trustworthy, and crucially, tasty, and affordable.

A proactive approach to health maintenance also means that people are taking a greater interest in functional ingredients. Brands need to ensure that consumers are fully aware of the myriad of benefits associated with tried and trusted ingredients. Moreover, there is also an opportunity to introduce consumers to new ingredients that they are unfamiliar with but are associated with maximum efficacy. It is important not to overestimate consumer awareness of ingredients. This means that brands need to educate people about daily recommended allowances as part of an overall healthy diet, and to ensure that people have realistic expectations towards ingredients. Additionally, it is crucial that ingredients are not positioned as magic bullet health solutions and claims are credible.

As consumers adopt a long-term approach to health maintenance, they are making the link between health and sustainability. People are concerned about the state of the environment and believe that damage done may be irreversible, something that will impact on quality of life for current and future generations, including from a health perspective. Consumers see living a sustainable lifestyle as an effective way of achieving health goals, seeking out products that they deem to be green and clean – meaning brands need to demonstrate environmental initiatives along the whole of the supply chain. Finally, it must be remembered that for many, the threat of COVID-19 has not gone away, and future variants – if more aggressive than the current one – will increase levels of uncertainty and risk aversion. Indeed, whilst focus should be on helping facilitate long-term health goals, brands must remember that we continue to operate in an era of uncertainty.

The information provided here was compiled with due care and up to date to the best of our knowledge on publication.

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FMCG Gurus provides market research and insight into consumer attitudes and behaviours across the food, beverage and supplement markets around the world.