Functional foods have become a key part of modern diets. No more is the trend driven by health and wellness aspirations alone – increasingly, consumers are seeking out foods that can improve their sleep, gut health, mood, or immunity.
According to Lumina Intelligence data, ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre, probiotics and omega-3s dominate awareness and purchasing behaviour.
But the way consumers perceive functionality differs by market: in Asia, particularly in China, Malaysia and South Korea, cultural familiarity with functional ingredients support the growth of the segment; and in the West, adoption is linked to improving performance and fitness, with high-protein products outperforming the rest of the category.
But protein has a formidable challenger in fibre, the nutrient that most people are deficient in.
Consumers increasingly understand this reality and are actively looking for ways to boost nutrition – while manufacturers are responding through product innovation and reformulation.
And as with any trend, social media plays a major part in fibre’s growing role in modern diets.
“Consumers are hearing more than ever about gut health and fiber through social media trends like Fibermaxxing and GutTok,” Kristie Leigh, Director of Nutrition and Scientific Affairs, Danone US, told us. “According to 2026 data prepared for Danone by The Hartman Group, nearly seven in 10 consumers say they are actively trying to increase fibre intake.”
Consumers are primarily focused on front of pack claims and overall label copy to inform them that a food is a good source of fibre, she added.
“More than 20% of consumers reading labels check for fiber content. However, research conducted in 2024 found almost a quarter of Americans were still unsure of what prebiotic fibres are and over one-third weren’t sure how they could impact health.
“This creates an opportunity for the food industry to close the gap with simpler, more science-based communication that helps consumers better understand fibre’s role in gut health and make more informed choices in the aisle.”
Why do consumers want fibre?
The understanding of fibre’s role in health and wellness is evolving – and that’s impacting consumer expectations of functional food and beverage.
Danone’s Leigh said: “We’re finding that consumers are increasingly connecting fibre not just to digestion, but to broader benefits like metabolic health, immunity, and weight management, particularly through feelings of fullness and blood sugar stabilisation.”
“Fibre helps nourish a balanced gut microbiome, promoting microbial diversity and supporting efficient digestion.”
Kristie Leigh, Director of Nutrition and Scientific Affairs, Danone US
“Among more advanced health and wellness consumers, fiber is also associated with broader systemic benefits, including heart health, metabolic health, inflammation management, and emerging connections to immunity and mood – though these benefits are typically seen as secondary to digestion rather than standalone drivers,” she added.
Are fortified foods held in similar regard to naturally fibre-rich foods?
According to Lumina Intelligence data, consumers aren’t equally enticed by functional foods. Markets in Southern and Continental Europe – think France and Italy – see shoppers lean more towards minimally-processed foods and may feel sceptical about functional food. But even in those markets, more than half of the consumers surveyed (around 60% in France and 63% in Italy) said they do buy food with added benefits.
What shoppers are much more invested in is taste and texture as well as convenience.
“Modern consumers want more out of their food. Along with the increased pressure for GLP-1 consumers to pack diets with essential nutrients into smaller quantities, on-the-go and snacking formats continue to thrive,” said Leigh.
“Meanwhile, 38% of consumers sought gut health information in 2025 and 29% reported using foods, functional beverages or supplements to manage their gut health. Danone’s Activia Fiber products are formulated to support gut health by combining billions of live/active probiotics with a good source of fibre (3g per serving).
“Meanwhile, as we near the one-year anniversary of Oikos entering the centre-store, Oikos Protein Shakes continue to be a go-to source for consumers seeking protein to support muscle health (30g of complete protein) and digestive health support (5g of prebiotic fibre).”
Consumers embrace simpler labels
Natural colours are also increasingly important for clean-label formulations.
Susan Zaripheh, PhD, chief research and innovation officer at Danone US and Canada, told us: “Consumers are looking at ingredients and the functionality of ingredients when reviewing product labels. For those consumers looking for clean label products, certified colour can play a role, and there are instances where the removal of the colour has no impact on the product itself but contributes to a simplified product and label. 70% of consumers prefer products with short, recognisable ingredient lists.”
In fact, early signals and knowledge from the vast majority of Danone US’ portfolio shows that consumers may be less particular about colour if the product continues to meet high quality, nutrition and taste standards, she added. In short: consumers today may be more open to lack of colour in products.
“This is seen in Danone’s latest removal of FD&C certified colours from Light + Fit Key Lime Greek yogurt,” she added. “To ensure consumer experience remained high, we conducted deep testing and research and discovered consumer perception of this particular product was not impacted by the removal of the colour.”
What’s next in functional F&B?
So what’s next for functional foods? According to Leigh, fibre will continue to rise as shoppers associate with more and more health benefits – but that’s not all.
“We believe the future of nutrition lies in understanding and harnessing the collective power of biotics – prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics and synbiotics – for gut health and a variety of other health benefits,” Leigh said.
“There is also growing interest in prebiotic fibres and resistant starches that support the microbiome and align with broader gut health narratives, especially as consumers become more educated about gut brain and whole-body connections.”
Overall, Leigh thinks that future growth will most likely come for fibre-fortified products that emphasize ingredient quality and transparency; use fibre sources that feel natural or food-based, and deliver multiple benefits at once.
