September 27, 2024 – Innova Market Insights takes a 360-degree approach to health and nutrition trends. The company conducts annual consumer trends research, researches health and nutrition trends, and tracks innovation in products, ingredients, flavors, and packaging. This 360 approach allows us to pull together top health and nutrition trends for 2025 that can impact the food and beverage marketplace.
Top Health and Nutrition Trends – a Summary
Here is a summary of the top five health and nutrition trends for 2025. Then each trend will be featured on its own.
The first trend is Nutrition Forward. Consumers are becoming more engaged with the positive role of nutrition for health, seeking out different healthier eating approaches.
The second trend is Weight Management. The rise of Ozempic and other GLP-1 based medication brings weight loss back in focus for consumers, opening an opportunity to more natural forms of weight loss.
The third trend is Nutrition for All Budgets. Price is shaping the demand for nutritious food and beverage, affecting the consumer perspective on health and nutrition.
The fourth trend is Genderized Nutrition. Women are seeking nutrition designed to meet their unique dietary wants and needs, often related to their hormone cycles.
The fifth and final trend is Natural Well-Being. Consumers are finding healthy solutions through connection with nature, affecting their stance towards ultra-processed foods.
Nutrition Forward Engages Consumers
Consumer trends research show that consumers are becoming more engaged with the positive role of nutrition for health. The Innova Health and Nutrition Research 2024, a top consumer trends research, shows that the leading healthy eating approach for consumers revolves around function rather than reduction. Healthy eating can be broken down into four approaches: function, natural function, reduction, and natural reduction. Innova consumer trends research asked consumers to pick one approach, and consumers were almost equally split among the four approaches. Regarding function, consumers are interested in healthy ingredients, healthy fats, hero foods, positive nutrition ingredients, and natural, inherent nutrition. They have a renewed interest in positive nutrition. The reduction side includes ingredients to avoid because they are bad for health. Regulations around the world allow consumers to focus on health.
Gut Health is Nutrition Forward
In its consumer trends research, Innova Market Insights asked consumers what health benefits they valued most, and gut health came out on top. Specifically, Gen X and Boomers are driving gut health as the most desirable approach for function and natural function. Younger consumers are concerned about nutrition and gut health in part because they hear about young people getting colon cancer. Gut health has regulatory issues in some countries. Social media has a big impact on consumers and can drive foods going viral. This often has nothing to do with what is on the package. One example is matcha, which has been linked on social media to cognitive health and gut microbiome changes.
Nutrition Forward and Concern About UPFs
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have been in the news for their association with health risks. In a US consumer trends research, Innova asked survey participants about what health risks they associate with UPFs. US consumers say that UPFs are bad for health, have poor nutrition quality, and are not natural. It is estimated that about half the diet of a consumer is UPFs. Consumers associate UPFs with indulgent products, fast food, and junk food.
Weight Management is Back in Focus
The rise of Ozempic and other GLP-1 based medications brings weight loss back in focus for consumers. A solid majority of consumers globally actively try to manage weight. Despite the hype about the newest weight loss drugs, Innova consumer trends research show that many consumers manage their weight loss through exercise and diet. Consumers take a variety of approaches, including exercise, reduction of certain ingredients such as sugar, or a nutritionally balanced diet with more natural foods and whole foods. Consumers report that their approach to diet includes reducing fat, carbohydrates, and/or calories, which is especially popular among seniors. A sizable proportion of consumers surveyed use portion control. Further down on the list of approaches are brands of diet products and protein-rich meal replacements.
Nutrition for All Budgets Affect Everyone
Price is shaping the demand for nutritious food and beverage, affecting the consumer perspective on health and nutrition. Nutrition for all budgets and affordable nutrition affect everyone in every region in the world. In a recent global consumer trends research, consumers say that their top two concerns impacting lifestyle are personal finances and lack of affordable healthy food. Consumer trends show that dietary planning is influenced by financial situation. When consumers purchase food and beverage products, price is the #1 consideration, followed by taste and naturalness. A majority of consumers notice price increases, and many are purchasing lower priced items. Innova consumer trends research suggest opportunity gaps between what low-income consumers want and what they are purchasing for benefits such as brain health, heart health, and detoxification. Low-income consumers name mental wellbeing as the most important aspect of feeling well. High income consumers list physical wellbeing first, then mental. Few products on the market carry a brain health claim.
Genderized Nutrition Supports Products for Women
Women are empowered to seek nutrition designed to meet their unique dietary wants and needs. The benefits men and women desire most are sleep, health, energy, and hydration, but women over index for appearance and hormonal balance. Innova Market Insights is seeing more women’s products for menopause, along with a boom in collagen. Men prioritize muscle building and sports recovery. A solid proportion of women say they use vitamins and minerals related to their hormone cycles. Use differs with age and life stage.
Natural Wellbeing Connects Consumers to Nature
Natural wellbeing involves adding food and beverages that are natural. Freshness and natural are top features desired by consumers. In consumer trends research, consumers say that natural foods deliver sufficient nutrients and ensure a healthy diet. Consumers are limiting artificial ingredients. They are attracted to food and beverage products that are described as natural, for example, natural sweeteners.
Key Innovation Opportunities Around Nutrition Trends
The Innova Health and Nutrition Trends 2025 offer opportunities for manufacturers and marketers. In naturally functional, new product development can use natural ingredients and natural sweeteners to deliver functional ingredients. Weight management products can target to people on GLP1 drugs. Plus, diet is more affordable and has fewer side effects than drugs. Less expensive mental health products and solutions can be developed. In gender-related opportunities, women seek vitamin and mineral supplements for specific health and life stage needs. And everything natural sells.
This article is based on Innova’s Top Health & Nutrition Trends for 2025 – Global report. Find out more about this report by booking a demo or reach out to us using our Contact Form.
