In today’s wellness-driven world, food is more than fuel — it’s a lifestyle choice. As health-conscious consumers look to improve their physical and mental well-being through what they eat, functional foods have emerged as a powerful category. From mood-enhancing beverages to gut-friendly snacks, these products deliver added health benefits that go beyond basic nutrition.
Macro Food Trend: Functional Foods & Wellness Innovation
Functional foods, enriched with added health benefits like probiotics, antioxidants or adaptogens, are gaining popularity as consumers seek to optimize their health through what they eat.
From beverages with mood-boosting properties to snacks that promote gut health, these products appeal to the growing desire for wellness through food. Consumers want more than just nourishment — they want their food to be part of a holistic approach to well-being.
Driven by factors like health consciousness, environmental awareness, and a hunger for ethical and sustainable options, consumers are making more diverse and mindful food choices and nourishing the category’s growth in a big way. Valued at $364.18 billion in 2024, the global functional food market is expected to grow to $793.60 billion by 2032 at a compound annual growth rate of 10.33%.1
Macro Marketing Trend: Health-Conscious Consumerism & Personalization
Personalized experiences are becoming more of a consumer expectation as marketing increasingly leverages data and technology to engage people as individuals with unique needs and preferences.
Data-driven marketing, which can offer personalized product recommendations based on individual health goals, is becoming central to consumer engagement.
Consumers are gravitating toward brands that can tailor their offerings to their specific needs, whether it’s a diet for weight loss, energy boosts or immune support. Eight in 10 consumers seek food with personalized nutritional profiles.3
The growing segment of personalized vitamin brands use questionnaires, blood tests and other data sources to tailor vitamin packs to individual needs, lifestyle and health goals.
Rootine examines genetic makeup through DNA and blood tests to identify nutrient deficiencies and help consumers achieve nutritional balance with personalized vitamin packs.
Nourished uses 3D printing technology to create gummy vitamin stacks based on an online quiz that homes in on the customer’s nutritional needs and health goals.
Intersection Insight: Wellness Meets Personalization for Deeper Impact
As consumers turn to food as a form of self-care, they expect brands to cater to their personal wellness goals. Brands that successfully blend functional foods with personalized marketing approaches — such as tailored nutrition plans or wellness-focused recommendations — will build stronger connections with their audience. This combination will drive both product adoption and deeper, long-term brand loyalty.
“As chefs and food formulators, we’ve long known that people want customizable, healthy options, but they simply will not sacrifice on flavor and the overall food experience,” said Chef Mike Buononato, SVP culinary for The Food Group.
“The challenge has always been not having enough ingredients and tools at our disposal to formulate differently. Until now,” he explains. “The prior demand for plant-based alternatives, combined with the ongoing drive for gluten-free products and the integration of the pharmaceutical and foodservice channels, has fostered an entirely new culinary landscape of ingredient options.”
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1 McKinsey & Company, The value of getting personalization right—or wrong—is multiplying, November 12, 2021
2 Fortune Business Insights, Functional Food Market Size, Trends, Growth, Analysis, 2032, February 24, 2025
3 Deloitte, Fresh Food Key Ingredient to Grocers’ Growth, October 3, 2023