Superfoods gaining more power

Look … up in the sky. It’s a bird, it’s a plane … it’s superfoods!

According to consumer insight firm Canadean, superfoods — typically of high demand in the food, drink and beauty sectors — will soon see a distinct shift towards more diverse categories driven by increasing health-consciousness.

Canadean’s report finds that consumers are more conscious of their health than ever before and aim to improve it proactively through healthy living rather than reactively through the use of conventional medicines.

“Our research shows that 63 percent of consumers believe plant botanicals or extracts will have a positive impact on their health,” said Lia Neophytou, associate analyst at Canadean. “The increasing trust that consumers have for formulations including superfood extracts is therefore widening the possibility for manufacturers to incorporate superfood ingredients within their products across several sectors.” 

Additionally, as unprocessed goods hold an allure for health-conscious consumers, products formulated with the lowest possible number of ingredients are appealing, according to Canadean. This drives the inclusion of superfoods across fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors, given that they are antioxidant-rich, high in nutrients and capable of delivering multiple benefits using fewer ingredients.

“Though superfoods are mostly utilized by manufacturers within food and drink products, there is growing evidence of superfood products emerging within alternative sectors,” Neophytou said.