Pulse Report: Functional Foods from a Consumer Perspective

Despite the introduction of thousands of functional foods and beverages into the U.S. market, American consumers still associate more strongly with dietary supplements in pill form for treating chronic health conditions and to boost overall wellness than they do with foods and beverages.

Functional Foods from a Consumer Perspective finds that consumer acceptance of new functional products depends on the ability of manufacturers to develop products that are more closely allied with where consumers are now in the adoption of nutritionally enhanced products, rather than products developed for a perceived "consumer of the future."

Report Overview

The report begins with a 15-year review of news headlines, citing 16 popular functional and dietary supplement ingredients, and provides a timeline of government approvals of ingredient-specific health claims. Both the media and regulation analysis shows that for American consumers, the world of functional foods and beverages is a very recent one.

In Part Two, we explore consumer perceptions of dietary supplements as compared to functional products, and the overall preference for "pills." Concepts explored in this section include "food is not medicine," the loss of folk remedy consciousness, the role of anatomy in the plausibility of functional products, and the role of symbolic logic. This section also explores cultural familiarity and the importance of developing products with relevant ingredient narratives and easy lifestyle integration.

In Part Three, we explore purchase and use of functional foods and beverages, ingredient beliefs, functional product preferences by food and beverage category, nutrition needs, gender appropriateness, and occasions for use.

The report includes 16 charts and tables summarizing the quantitative portion of the study.