Consumer habits are trending towards an uptick in healthy snacking, conscious consumption is on the rise as consumers look for food with less sugar, less fat, natural, and clean ingredients. People want more of the good and less of the bad, and some function in there if possible.
Functional Food is a trend that is on the rise, but there is a misconception that functional food is limited to nootropics and adaptogens such as maca root powder or probiotics. There is also this limited view that functional food is limited to only include some variation of mushrooms such as reishi or chaga mushroom and ashwagandha. Yes, these ingredients are considered as “functional” and better-for-you, but they are only the beginning of what we will start to see at the Functional Food market explodes in the coming years.
Bioactive ingredients are the future of functional food
Bioactive ingredients are the nutritional profiles that make up vegetables, leafy greens and wildlife that we have consumed throughout history. They are the “nonessential biomolecules that are present in foods and exhibit the capacity to modulate one or more metabolic processes, which results in the promotion of better health.” (Encyclopedia.)