The market intelligence company predicts purchasing decisions will become less focused on taste, convenience and satisfying hunger or thirst, and more influenced by the role products can play in supporting wellness goals such as sustained energy, better sleep, weight management, healthy ageing and emotional resilience.
This was highlighted in Mintel’s 2027 Global Predictions report which argues that food and drink brands are no longer competing just against each other, but for a place within the increasingly personalised systems consumers use to manage their lives.
Mintel added that consumers will increasingly combine multiple products to achieve health and wellness goals. For example, someone looking for
sustained energy might combine meals, snacks, hydration and supplements rather than depend on one product.
As a result, no single category will own outcomes such as sleep, resilience, healthy ageing or weight management and F&B brands will increasingly need to collaborate with supplements, beauty, healthcare, media and technology to offer more complete solutions.
The current prevalence of category blurring, such as with collagen-boosted beauty beverages, is an example of how brands are starting to respond to these consumers changes, it said.
Mintel said that in the future, food and drink brands will position products according to the role they play.
It said: “The next protein drink will not simply compete with another protein drink. It will compete for a place within a system built around satiety, recovery, weight management or sustained energy.
“This is already breaking down the boundaries between conventional food,
functional drinks, supplements, beauty and healthcare. Protein has moved far beyond sports nutrition. Hydration now encompasses electrolyte sachets, dairy milk and functional beverages, as well as water.”
Mintel said that whilst food and drink brands have traditionally offered systems of beverages, bars and meals to make it easier for weight-loss focused consumers, they have now been joined by supplements, beauty, personal care and technology solutions, which all hope to reach GLP-1 medication users with a range of products that complement the drugs’ benefits.
The report argues that opportunity for food and drink manufacturers will move beyond owning a meal, snack or beverage occasion. Instead brands will need to about earn and maintain a role within these personalised systems and prove their contribution to a desired outcome.
The scale of this move is already showing itself in stress and relaxation products.
According to Mintel’s Global New Products Database 58% of global new product launches that were made with stress relief or relaxation claims were from healthcare brands, 33% were drinks and 9% were food in 2025.
Food and drink brands will have to keep their products relevant with ingredients, flavours, packaging and cross-category collaboration all expected to be levers.
Mintel highlights Rula, a US mental health platform, that has partnered with Van Leeuwen Ice Cream to launch “Therapy in a Pint”, replacing ice cream with free therapy sessions.
