54HEALTH AND WELLNESSSoft Drinks International – March/April 2021

Immunity
consumer perceptions andcredible claims

O
Functional
ingredients
highlight newopportunities
within thebeverage
market, reports
Mike Hughes.

ver the last twelve months, consumers
have placed more emphasis on their healththan ever before, and will continue to do so forsome time to come. While initial concerns
were about their vulnerability to COVID-19,
consumers are now taking a broader approachto health and questioning whether current
diets and lifestyles are something that are
increasing the risk of serious health problems
later in life.
As consumers place more urgency on
addressing their health, they are seeking out
products with functional ingredients that areassociated with helping aid overall health andwellbeing. This is something that creates newopportunities within the beverage market,
especially in categories where previously consumers were looking to moderate consumption.

Consumers are more conscious
about their immunity
Across the globe, consumers are not overly satisfied with their immune health. Although thisis something that has undoubtedly been
impacted by COVID-19, it is important to stressthat even before the pandemic, consumers
were not confident with their health. In 2020, atotal of 49% of consumers said that they wereconfident with their immune health, which
was a decline compared to the 54% who said
this in 2019.
In addition, a total of 65% of consumers said
in 2021 that they have become more conscious

about their immunity as a result of the pandemic. The research serves to highlight how
consumers of all ages have become more conscious about their overall wellbeing, with concerns not restricted to those associated withmore vulnerable demographics, such as theelderly.

Re-evaluating health and wellness
However, the research shows that even before
the pandemic, consumers were not satisfied
with their immune health. This is somethingthat can be attributed to modern living, with asignificant proportion of consumers believingthat their diets are unhealthy, that they do not
do enough exercise and that they spend moretime in doors on digital devices. COVID-19 ismerely something that has accelerated theurgency in which consumers are wanting toaddress health issues.
Indeed, over the last twelve months, consumers have had chance to re-evaluate theirhealth and wellness. Initially concerns werefocused around vulnerability to the virus.
However, as time has progressed, focus has
been broader, with consumers evaluating theirvulnerability to other long-term health problems, such as cancer, because of their current
diets and lifestyles.
This is something that is having a significant
impact on eating and drinking habits. For
instance, research conducted in 2021 showsthat 66% of consumers say that they are now
making attempts to eat and drink more
healthily as a result of COVID-19. In addition,
47% of consumers said that they have sought
out functional beverages that boost immune
health. This shows that ingredient claims arehaving a significant influence on beveragechoice. Given that 19% believe that the virus issomething that will continue to impact daily
lives for several years, the reality is thatdemand for such functional beverages will continue for some time.

IMMUNITYSoft Drinks International – March/April 2021

55

COVID-19 ismerelysomething thathas accelerated
the urgency
in which
consumers arewanting toaddress healthissues.
New opportunities
The demand for functional ingredients to help
boost immune health is something that creates
new opportunities within the beverage market,
especially categories where previously, consumers were more likely to be associated withtrying to moderate intake.
For instance, FMCG Gurus research conducted in 2019 shows that across the globe,
37% of consumers who drink carbonates and
38% who drink juice say that they have looked
to moderate intake. This is because these categories are associated with high sugar levels andin the case of carbonates, a lack of nutritional
ingredients. However, if products are positioned around containing functional ingredients – either natural or fortified ingredients –this is something that could help change perceptions. As such, where possible, beverage
brands should look to promote functional
ingredients that aid immune health.

These products will appeal to consumers
who want a convenient health boost; however,
it is important to factor in several considerations when launching such products. Firstly,
avoidance and moderation of bad ingredients isjust as important to consumers as intake offunctional ingredients when looking to boostimmune health. This means sugar content will
also be an issue. In addition, it is also important that such products are not seen to be
making misleading claims around health, have
too high a price, or seen to be of poor taste.
However, the reality is that dietary habits
will continue to evolve amongst consumers as
they look to minimize their vulnerability todisease and illness. This creates a genuine
opportunity for beverage brands to help reinvigorate product categories and change consumer perceptions by promoting functional
ingredients and making credible claims relatning to the associated health benefits.

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Mike Hughes, Head of Researchand Insights at FMCG Gurus.
info@fmcggurus.com