This is a lockdown success story about a mother and daughter from Brazil who moved to Sussex and wanted to create functional teas that not only did what they said on the tin but tasted good too.
By Miriam Konz, EVP corporate strategy and innovation, AMC Global
To truly leverage the functional ingredient trend, you’ll need a deep understanding of the 'why' behind consumer choices. Miriam Konz, SVP of corporate strategy and innovation at AMC Global, takes a look at some of the overarching factors.
On a macro level, health and wellness is as important than ever. Yet there are many facets to this: do consumers want sugar or sweeteners or are they more concerned about functional benefits or clean label ingredients? Soft drink company Britvic puts...
The increased demand for functional food and drink is anticipated to boost sports drinks sales – and yet, at the same time, growing functional claims across neighboring categories is likely to stiffen competition. How should sports drinks navigate this...
The supplementation of a lactic acid bacteria drink has shown to reduce absenteeism in school kids linked to cold and flu within four weeks, said the findings of a Kirin-funded RCT.
Equinox Kombucha started off being brewed in a kitchen in Calderdale, Yorkshire, after a couple of intrepid travellers returned from Asia wanting to bring the live culture and all its benefits with them.
Led by a PepsiCo alum turned beverage entrepreneur, OCA is carving out a spot for itself in the growing 'clean' energy drink category with a simple ingredient deck which includes 120mg of caffeine from green coffee extract.
Functional ingredient producer BENEO has quadrupled storage capacity at its Offstein facility in Germany, which the company said will improve efficiency and strengthen business contingency resilience.
UK soft drinks business Britvic is joining forces with University of Cambridge-backed company Xampla to develop tech to protect its vitamin fortified drinks.
From manuka honey to peanut butter and fermented kelp drinks, New Zealand has announced new investment projects related to the research or creation of new functional food products.
UAE non-alcoholic drink online marketplace and distributor Drink Dry says that functional beverages are an emerging trend in the region and is looking to list more of such products on its platform.
A single dose of an extracts from coffee berry – the outer layer of the coffee fruit and a rich source of polyphenols – may boost alertness in healthy men and women, with effects still observable six hours after consumption, says a new study.
Australia’s Rogue Beverages is launching its botanical health tonics into 40 outlets in New Zealand including retailers such as Bin Inn, Mojo Coffee Roasters and Natural Organics, and is setting a target of penetrating 2000 outlets within the next six...
Could Mexico’s traditional fermented beverages offer inspiration for healthy beverages today? Researchers are calling for the recovery and conservation of ancient fermented drinks, which could offer an 'outstanding reservoir' of genetic resources...
Brightseed – a San Francisco-based firm using artificial intelligence (AI) to probe the ‘dark matter of nutrition’ – has teamed up with Ocean Spray to analyze the phytochemical structure of cranberries at a granular level, and has already identified compounds...
A diet rich in fermented foods such as kimchi, cottage cheese, and kefir can enhance the diversity of gut microbes and reduce molecur signs of inflammation, say researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine.
Indian start-up Avid Nutrilabs is forecasting sales of its functional coffee, which contains Kerry’s Wellmune ingredient, to grow by 10 times as it gears up to distribute products overseas.
Probiotic products that have strong scientific backing for health claims, innovative delivery formats and added functionalities via vitamins or botanicals have a strong basis to anticipate successful commercialisation in the post-pandemic era, according...
The global taste and nutrition company Kerry has revealed a new whitepaper with Europe-wide data detailing the opportunity in functional beverages with cognitive health benefits.
Global food ingredients giant ADM announced today it will acquire Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes, significantly expanding its capacity in microbiome-targeted ingredients.
Japanese firm Kao has launched a new range of Foods with Function Claims (FFCs) targeted at reducing visceral fat and lowering high blood pressure, and consumers could measure their progress using an app.
A Singapore start-up is aiming to build on the traditional heritage of jamu, a herbal drink from Indonesia, with a range of new products, including one for diabetics.
Australian probiotic brand PERKII has seen steady sales of its probiotic beverages amid the pandemic, boosting the firm’s confidence in its overseas expansion plans.
Mining the traditional fermented beverages “Masato de Yuca” and “Chicha de Siete Semillas”, scientists from Peru and Spain have reported a potential new probiotic with performance that matches or exceeds an established commercial strain.
Singapore start-up Soynergy is aiming to launch a probiotic drink made from okara, using its biotech platform that contributes towards zero-waste food manufacturing.
Major Thai beverage company Osotspa said that the popularity of vitamin C drinks and related products have cushioned weak convenience store sales in the country.
How can fermented beverages boost immunity and gut health? Do consumers understand the health benefit of kefir and kombucha? And where are these sectors headed in the next five years? Kombucha Brewers International (KBI) and UK kefir maker Biotiful Dairy...
Kirin is adding the immune-boosting ingredient Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma (Lc-Plasma) into its flagship milk tea and green tea products, with the firm banking on the health angle that has driven the success of its iMuse functional brand to halt...
UK-based Sleep Well Milk is set to launch its functional dairy milk for the first time in Asia later this year, with Hong Kong and South Korea the firm’s first two targets.
A team at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Quebec, Canada is working on a plant-based fermented drink high in protein and probiotics.
The pandemic has propelled immunity to the top of the functional beverage agenda. But that doesn’t mean interest in other functional beverages has disappeared. We ask the experts what trends are bubbling away beneath the pandemic headlines – and will...
It sounds pretty logical – the pandemic has prompted increased interest in immunity across F&B. But is it really top dog in the world of functional beverages – or are there other claims consumers are more interested in?
UK functional water sales were hit by the pandemic in 2020: but are predicted to rise consistently over the next five years. But the rebound is not necessarily going to be a straight-forward return to pre-pandemic times: with a shifting market and new...
As consumers search for holistic and natural ways to improve their immunity, Euromonitor has published a new white paper examining how brands can appeal in a competitive and confusing market.
Malaysian supplements and personalised nutrition outfit Nourished Asia has launched a new brand, Daile Food, focusing on customising milk, coffee, tea, fruit juice, and yoghurt with added functional ingredients.
Three high-profile acquisitions put the spotlight on how PepsiCo is shaping its beverage portfolio for the future: tapping into a new consumption model with SodaStream; eying up the opportunity for protein and sport with CytoSport, and building its presence...
The micronutrients and other bioactives contained in a glass of orange juice is sufficient enough to shore up the immune response and tackle oxidative stress and inflammation, a review concludes.
A New Zealand firm producing gin from Damson plums is expanding into the functional health foods space and has received funding to research and develop nutrition products based on its high amounts of anthocyanins.
Consumption of PepsiCo’s Imunele, a drinkable yoghurt fortified with two probiotic strains and a vitamin complex was found to reduce the frequency of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) among female subjects in a randomised double-blind control...
Yakult has detailed its plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through its newly established Environmental Vision 2050, which will also include efforts to reduce plastic packaging by 30% by 2030.
As the #1 selling brand in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, and the fourth largest kombucha company globally, producing more than 90 million cans per year, Remedy Drinks is seeking to replicate its success in the US market where it says consumers are...
If you took the best of Bai, the best of Vitaminwater, and the best of Gatorade, and made it organic, you would have ROAR, says CEO Alex Galindez, who is applying a new distribution and marketing playbook to the five-year-old brand.
Olipop – a functional beverage brand forging new territory in the soda category with 9g fiber per can – is on course to more than triple revenues this year vs 2020, says co-founder Ben Goodwin, who launched the brand with David Lester in late 2018.
Ingredient suppliers have identified four key trends that are driving beverage innovation in Asia-Pacific, namely non-dairy, low sugar, functional and sustainability.
