March 4, 2025 – The #1 Top 10 Trend 2025 from Innova Market Insights is “Ingredients & Beyond.” Support for this trend includes consumer trends research along with research in food, beverage, and ingredient launch trends in products for people. The trend shines a spotlight on how manufacturers are increasing product quality beyond the core ingredients.
This article is based on Innova’s Top Trends 2025: Trend #1 – Ingredients & Beyond – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
Consumers Demand Quality
Quality is king for consumers, and they seek quality when purchasing food and beverage products. Innova consumer trends research asked consumers what features of food and beverages became more important to them over the previous 12 months. Over half of consumers prioritize product quality first, followed by freshness, health, and nutrition—ranking them above taste and environmental benefits. However, health, taste, and sustainability all contribute to the perception of quality.
Innova Market Insights’ consumer trends research notes differences among generations in the perception of quality. Ingredients trends show that older adults are more likely to equate fresh, natural, and convenient with quality. Younger consumers are more conscious of image, so brands, packaging, and advertising communicate quality to them.
Expanding the Value Narrative
Another important issue to consumers participating in consumer trends research is good value for their money. In fact, consumers who were asked how they determine the quality of a product named price and value for their money first. Value was named ahead of freshness, health, or nutrition.
The flipside holds true also. When consumers evaluate quality, they consider the value they are getting for the money. Grocery prices have gone up, and consumers take notice. Ingredients trends show that consumers are looking for ways to balance quality with price and value, especially in western countries. Consumers in Asian countries are more likely to equate quality with health and nutrition.
Quality and Health are Complementary
Because health is so important to consumers, products that combine quality, value for the money, health, and freshness are ideal. Quality and health go together according to consumer trends research because consumers often seek products with high quality ingredients when shopping for their health. Ingredients trends reveal that a notable proportion of consumers turn to food and beverages with added value that comes in the form of ingredients that support health and boost health.
Consumers are Interested in Health-Boosting Food and Beverages
Consumer trends research shows that consumers are looking for health benefits and personalized products that add value to the food and beverage products they buy. Consumers purchase products with many different types of health benefits. These can include digestive and gut health, weight management, immune health, and energy and stamina, as well as bone health, skin health, heart health and healthy aging.
Consumers also equate certain ingredients with value. Vitamins, protein and fiber lead the list of ingredients that are valued by consumers for improving their health. Consumers today expect more than ingredients and ingredient claims. They are looking to fortified products for additional features. This is why brands should use storytelling to describe the quality of ingredients, the amounts that are present in a product, and the specific benefits they can offer to consumers.
Protein Claims and Fiber Claims Enhance Value
Products with claims for high in protein, a source of protein, high in fiber, or a source of fiber have shown strong growth over the past several years. To add more value, companies may add even more protein or fiber, talk about the types of protein or fiber ingredients used, and stress the health benefits of the particular ingredients.
Weight Management Benefits Connote Quality and Value
Ingredients trends show that consumers are highly interested in weight management. Weight management and weight control messaging has changed over the years and continues to change with the growing popularity of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Blood sugar control, weight control, and GLP-1 actions may be presented as quality benefits in supplements and in food and beverage products.
Personalization equals Quality
Consumer trends research shows that personalization means quality and value to consumers. Brands are developing product extensions with specific health benefits like immune health, heart health, or energy of different types. Private label brands have jumped into the personalization trend with targeted, personalized health claims in products that are more accessible and more affordable.
Private Label Gains on Name Brand
Because of price increases, inflation, and consumer worries about the cost of living, private label and store brand products are on the rise. Consumers are purchasing private label and store brand food and beverage products more often. Lower numbers in consumer trends research says that they are buying name brands more often.
Consumer trends research shows differences among generations. Although all generations are buying more private label products and older generations are cutting back on name brand purchases, younger consumers still feel more positive about name brand products. Still, they are moving toward private label.
Private label is catching up to name brand in quality. Consumers purchase private label and store brands first because they are good value, but also because they are improving their quality. A solid proportion of consumers say that quality is the reason they buy store brands, and the perceived quality gap between name brands and private label brands is not very large.
Also, consumers say that private label brands offer health benefits that are similar to name brands and that private label supermarket brands also have a lot of variety.
This article is based on Innova’s Top Trends 2025: Trend #1 – Ingredients & Beyond – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
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