Diets Are Out, Function Is In: What Consumers Told Us About Functional Food & Beverage
In this episode, ITC’s Steve Imgrund sits down with CEO Len Monheit to break down the 2026 Functional Food & Beverage Report, a survey of 2,100 consumers across the US and UK fielded in May 2026.
From bone broth to prebiotic soda, functional food has been evolving for thousands of years, and this year’s data shows a category in the middle of a major behavior shift, with consumers moving away from rigid diet identities and toward products that simply deliver more nutrition.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why specialty diets are declining while functional food consumption keeps climbing
- How often consumers are actually using functional products, and what that means for positioning
- Where format innovation is moving now that coffee has cooled off
- Why willingness to pay a premium for branded ingredients is rising, and which demographic is driving it
- The number-one trust driver this year
- How to use ITC’s new persona reports to check your product against your target demographic
- How to read the white space in health concerns, and why education gaps and conversion gaps need different strategies
The 2026 Functional Food & Beverage Report is now available online. Have a specific request or category question? We offer custom research; reach out to start the conversation.
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