Going down: number of servings chosen for health benefits
Functional food: when we eat it 
       
    Servings chosen for health benefits (m) % change
  Breakfast  6970.7 0.4%
  Morning snack 913.3 8.1%
  Lunch 3007.9 -7.8%
  Afternoon snack 715.4 0.2%
  Teatime  1286.2 -4.2%
  Evening meal  3635.9 -2.9%
  Evening snack 820.3 -1.7%
       
Source: Kantar, 52 w/e 24 February  2019  

Appetite for functional food has plateaued. Prior to 2018, consumers were choosing food and drink for an ever-increasing number of needs. However, that has slowed in the past year.

On average, each serving fulfils 2.4 needs, the same as the previous year.
On top of that, Kantar data shows a 0.9% decline in food and drink servings chosen for their health benefits, equating to 400 million fewer servings.


“Consumer confidence continued to decline this year, which could offer an explanation for the reduced demand for functional food,” says analyst Craig Tattersall. “But we don’t expect this to continue in the long run.”


There were, however, several foods, such as oats, yoghurts and breakfast cereals, that scored highly in being chosen for their health benefits last year.


“A lot of the higher-scoring products are linked to the breakfast occasion, and consequently we can see that products at breakfast are more likely to be chosen for health benefits,” says Tattersall.


Consumers engage less and less with functional foods throughout the day, with main meals driving decline in the category.

Kantar’s Worldpanel FMCG service monitors consumer behaviour across Great Britain. Its primary panel tracks take-home purchases of 30,000 demographically representative households. Data on consumption habits, nutrition and out of home sales is collected through subsidiary panels.

Visit kantarworldpanel.com for details.

Source: Kantar 52 w/e 24 February 2019

Mood and energy: what’s important to shoppers in functional food and drink
How consumers see functional food and drink   
         
84% believe food and drink affects energy levels      
73% believe food and drink affects mental health and mood  
66% have bought food and drink because of its functional benefits  
52% say ingredients are the most important factor when buying functional food and drink
25% would be very likely to buy a food or drink product that claims to affect mood
         
Source: Streetbees poll of 763 consumers, April 2019