Focus on Functional Food and Drink: 7 July

Focus On: Functional food & drink by Ash O’Mahony

Download the synopsis here

Online Listicle to go live: 29th June

Submissions deadline: 18 June

Advertising deadline: 25 June

Publishing date: 7 July

The Story

It seems like we’re a nation of morning people In the first half of the day, Brits are tucking into plenty of healthy, functional food and drink such as multi-seed porridge oats, cholesterol-lowering spreads and soya yoghurt. But it seems resolve weakens as the day goes on. The evening meal is the only occasion when consumption of functional food and drink is falling. Why is this? Does it represent an opportunity for brands to fill an unmet need?

Themes to cover:

Times of day: Breakfast is a growing opportunity for functional food and drink, yet consumption at the evening meal is falling. What is proving particularly popular at breakfast? Are there any lessons from this growing market that could help stimulate evening meal sales?

The young ones: Middle-aged consumers buy into functional food and drink the most, but the younger generation is fuelling growth in the category. What are they looking for?

Added ingredients: We are used to manufacturers adding ingredients to make food more functional. There’s added protein for gym-goers, collagen for younger-looking skin, or plant sterols to lower cholesterol. To what extent are consumers looking for these ‘added’ products rather than naturally good for you?

Naturally ‘good for you’: There’s been plenty of talk of foods that naturally boost your health without any need for added vitamins or minerals. Whole grains such as bulgur wheat are one of these foods as is raw cacao, which is increasingly popping up as an ingredient. What foods are particularly popular and which could be the next big thing?

Functional drinks: To what extent are we choosing drinks for functional purposes? We’ve seen coconut water sales slump – to what extent is this true for other drinks in this space? How about functional juices such as Innocent Super Smoothies?

Innovations x 4: A run-down of the top launches which haven’t been featured in The Grocer before, including image, launch date and RSP.

Key questions the feature is likely to address:

• What consumer trends have impacted the category over the past year?
• How have promotional strategies (both in terms of price and marketing) evolved?
• How have individual retailers’ strategies impacted the market?
• How has merchandising changed in the market?
• What impact has own-label had on branded players?

Online Listicle: Five products promising to maximise beauty, outlining the food and drink products with the biggest claims of improving hair, skin, nails or general attractiveness.