Cliona Regan, Global Graduate Communications, Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board
Amidst a changing world, with various health and wellness trends being considered by businesses and consumers alike, one trend in particular has been emerging. Mood boosting food and drink has become increasingly more in-demand.
It is well understood that consumers seek products that have added functional benefits to them, foods and drinks that go the extra mile in terms of health benefits. Consumers are now also seeking produce that has promises of mood-boosting properties. ‘People might look for ingredients that claim to help them focus, boost their mood or have calming properties. Nutritionists say turmeric and chamomile can help reduce anxiety, while blueberries and chocolate have a positive impact on mood’ (USAToday, 2020).
When we consider the connection between the brain and the gut, it’s important to know that 90% of serotonin receptors are located in the gut (Naidoo, 2019). With this in mind, it is imperative that Irish food and drink brands consider this when creating new products, as they have the potential to make produce that can help how consumers think and feel.
Although this trend is a slow burner in Ireland at the moment, there are some Irish drinks brands that are making the promise of mood boosting benefits. The kombucha brand Synerchi makes a fermented drink from sweetened tea, which is believed to be a source of chi, ‘an invigorating life force.’ Another popular drinks brand, VIT HIT, contains 100% of your recommended daily allowance of 8 vitamins, and promises to contribute to overall wellbeing.
Less than 1% of UK food and non-alcoholic drink launches made immune system claims in recent years, as captured by Mintel GNPD. This is despite a range of vitamins and minerals being authorised for the claim “contributes to the normal function of the immune system” under EFSA (Mintel, 2020). It seems that there is a huge gap in the market for brands to market their products as something that is enriched and can help the immune system. Brands should consider how they can cultivate food and drinks that are not only great tasting, but also great for the body and soul as well.
References
USA Today, 2020
Uma Naidoo, Harvard Health Blog, 2019
Mintel, COVID-19 drives interest in nutritious food, but mood boost connotations can benefit treats, 2020.