Top 5 Functional Food and Beverage Trends to Look in 2019

Well, you would be hearing the term ‘functional’ lately with respect to food and beverage products. Functional foods have grown tremendous popularity in the market and are trending in the food and beverage industry. These are basically food items or products that help in providing benefits that are beyond conventional food products. In the food and beverage industry, there has been a drastic competition in order to give customers better products. Most of the beverage manufacturers are constantly working towards providing customers with ultimate functional products.

Functional products are definitely getting popular and the trend has quickly taken over the world. However, there are some functional food and beverage trends that you can look for in 2019.

Digestive Wellbeing

Gut health and digestive well being are one of the most popular and growing trends when we talk about functional food and beverages and the trend seems to get even more popular in the upcoming years. The popularity of yogurts and kombucha as a functional food for the gut and digestive health is known to all of us. A possibility of having a proper diet that focuses on improving digestive health is way higher.
Some of the major digestive and gut health functional foods in the market are Probiotic, FODMAPs.

Sugar is not Going to have a Good Future

Most of the people are saying ‘no to sugar’ and same will continue in 2019 probably even more. More people are getting cautious about the sugar level and added sugar in the products. This is why it is important to interpret the composition of every product before bringing it to the market. For function foods and beverages, it will be better to opt for natural sweeteners like honey, agave etc.

Cannabidiol (CBD)

Cannabidiol is another trend that will quickly take over the world especially in the food and beverage industry. This will be a game changer for the food and beverage manufacturers if they can legally utilize CBD in foods and drinks.
Beverages high on caffeine like coffee, tea, and soft drinks are very popular among the folks. CBD is the best way to provide people with well-being through inducing calmness and sanctity.

Natural Organic Products

The consumers are more concerned about natural and organic ingredients more than ever before.  This is a huge trend in the industry green juices, organic salads are gaining popularity. Functional foods and beverages are going to focus on natural and organic ingredients for their products in order to cater to the customers.

Carbohydrate Shift

One of the major drift that we are going to witness is the shift from carbohydrate foods. Most diet plans are focusing on low carb diet which is gaining popularity. In 2019 more people are bound to include good carb foods in their diet. Lower carb diet mostly focuses on high protein and good fat content. So, the functional food trend is going to shift towards lower carb and high protein and fat diet.

4 MAJOR CHANGES IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

Recently, the food and beverage industries are undergoing some major changes. As nowadays, people are more serious about their health and fitness so they are turning towards healthy, natural and whole food diets. There are so many health-conscious peoples are examining nutrition labels more closely. They normally opt for the items that are made with fewer and simple ingredients. Even the food and beverage industry are finding better ways to connect with their target audience. They launch new methods in order to meet the needs of their customers growing demand.  They try to understand their customer’s preference and establish innovative techniques.

Due to the increase in popularity of more and more food and beverage product solutions are offering some convenient options to their customers. 

Food Safety

Food safety is the key to win your customers heart. If you are a manufacturer then you might know the importance of processing, packing and quality control. Now the manufacturers are more focused on food safety and preventative measures so that they can improve their consumer confidence.

Consumer Preference 

There are so many foods and beverage industries that lost their business because they failed to provide healthy food. Now, consumers are more focused on healthy eating options. You need to shift your business towards your customer’s preference in order to get profit. According to the latest report, food and beverage industries are adding healthier products and ingredients to their existing portfolio.

Technology 

Now, the market is very competitive and adding latest and innovative technologies is a must. You need to choose technology that brings you with some good business. Choosing digital media for your promotion is very important. Now, it’s the key asset for your business survival. It gives your company with some incredible potential for profitability and growth. You need to adopt a modern strategy in order to stay ahead of your competition.

Equipment Innovation 

Now, food and beverage industries are providing the best customer services which can increase the rate of productivity. Many industries have shifted towards an e-commerce website so that they can meet their customer’s expectations. Some food industries are focusing on order profiles. This gives more options to place a retail order at large scale. This will also give you a steady production.

WHICH PLANT EXTRACTS IS BENEFICIAL FOR YOUR HEALTH

The popularity of herbal medicine is growing these days and there are so many herbal products which will provide you with some best health benefits. As you already know there are so many herbal products and you will get confused about which form of extracts is right for you. The herbal medicines or any kind of herbal products are best for your health and that’s the reason why many experts recommended for herbal products. These products contain natural ingredients which are best for your health. There are many plants extracts manufacturers firms who provide you with the best herbal products. There are many herbals extracts that you are confused about such as whole herb and standardized herbal extracts. There are some other kinds of confusion that you have come across therefore, we will discuss them briefly so that you can choose the correct one.

Whole Herbs 

Whole herbs are usually dried and it is preserved in alcohol. These are the natural extract of plants and they have been used for hundred and hundred years ago. Now, there are many modern medicines which are originated from whole herbs. There is an ancient history of the whole herb and it has been proven that the whole herbs are efficacy and safety. The biggest drawbacks of whole herbs are they are not medically tested as standardized herbal extract. It is quite hard to prove the quality of the products but whole herbs the successive generation of healers. There are various other ways where you can determine the quality of whole herbs through the soil, the time of harvested and weather condition. There are few other methodically consideration like processing techniques, the age of the plant during harvesting and the extract process that has been used. 

Standardized Herbal Extract

The standardized herbal extract has one thing common which has a specific amount and this is usually expressed in percentage. The main motive of standardization of the herbs is to provide a product that has the correct chemistry consistent so that it would be safe to use. Now, scientists have attempted to identify the components of the plants which would provide the best benefits for human body. As you know plants contain a complex blend of mixtures which can be used in multiple ways, the standardized herbal extract is the solution for solving multiple health-related problems. These herbal extract has multiple components rather than having one specific component, therefore it is quite difficult to know what type of standardized herbal extract can give you multiple benefits than whole herbs. 

THE FUTURE TRENDS OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS AND BEVERAGES

Functional food and beverages is an area of new product development that continues to generate strong interest among consumer product goods companies. The food and beverage manufacturing companies have begun to make new and unique ingredients with has health benefits. The idea of developing more functional food and drinks are quite compelling. 

According to research, the functional food and beverage market is valued for more than 15 billion. These are categorized as:

1. Products that are enhanced with added ingredients which will provide specific health or disease benefits beyond general nutrition such as joint pain or digestion problem.
2. Products that have been modified and enhanced by processing like fermentation of dairy products where the bacteria that cause the fermentation for health benefits.
3. Products that by approved from FDA. For example “Helps lower cholesterol or 25 grams of soy protein a day. It’s a part of a diet where low in saturation fat and cholesterol which will reduce the risk of heart diseases as well as make your bones healthy. 

Functional foods and beverage sales are quite heavy and have seen an exponential growth in the last few years. The rate of growth will slow especially in beverages as more people tend towards functional foods. According to recent research, consumer purchased a functional food or drink in the last three months. They are more careful with how they spend their money and what they spend it on.  There are more than two-third functional beverages should be tested by FDA to make sure that they do what they say. Some consumers are skeptical and their skepticism is apparent when they are asked if they “feel the difference” after consuming functional foods and beverages. More than 25% say they “feel the difference” when they consume them and more than 30% say that such products are neither effective nor ineffective. 

Globally, functional food and beverages have shown slow but relatively steady increases every quarter for the last several years. The pattern in the market is similar to where there are great peaks and valleys than globally.  The types of products we see on the market are normally “traditional” claim areas such as cardiovascular health, digestive health, and immune support. The kind of growth was found in the area of relaxation, beauty and skin care. Traditional functional foods and beverages have some sort of digestive health benefits. These products can add fiber. Some products combine the isotonic benefits of coconut water providing multiple benefits. 

In terms of where we see functional foods and beverages are going in the future, it seems that the products that bundle claims and benefits together are the one that stands the best chance of long-term survival.