The shift towards plant-based consumption is reshaping the global beverage landscape. As more consumers reduce or eliminate animal products from their diets, the demand for dairy alternatives continues to surge.
This rapid expansion signals new opportunities for beverage manufacturers to innovate with plant-based ingredients, textures, and flavours — a key focus at drinktec, where the latest developments in dairy alternatives will be on display.
Growing health awareness ensures growth for non-alcoholic beverages
This trend is supported by increasing consumer health awareness, which was cited as a top priority by 46 percent of consumers in a global study. Confirmation of these changing consumption habits can be seen with annual growth of 7 percent in the non-alcoholic beverage (NOLO) category to a retail value of USD 10 billion.
Personal health priorities influence consumption habits
Under the heading of holistic health, these consumer priorities are reflected, for example, in the sport, fitness and prevention sector, in the need for additional nutrients in the daily diet.
In addition, convenience and time optimisation are also highly important, so ‘Energy-on-the-Go’ is a new focus of consumer demand. 63 percent of consumers worldwide are interested in beverages that meet their health requirements and ‘well-being goals’ (FMCG Gurus ‘Personalised Nutrition Report 2021, 2020).
Functional beverages with high growth rates
One component of this market scenario in the beverage industry is functional beverages (beverages with added benefits), whose annual growth is estimated at 8.6 percent by 2030. The global market volume for functional beverages is expected to reach USD 339.6 billion by 2030 – e-commerce is expected to play a key role here.
A functional drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that contains minerals, vitamins, amino acids, fibre, probiotics and raw fruits that provide essential nutritional value and various health benefits. Energy drinks with taurine and caffeine will continue to dominate this beverage segment. They are the classic example of drinks with added benefits.
However, more products are now entering the market that appeal to target groups beyond the typical energy drink consumer. More functional drinks are being developed for health-conscious and affluent consumers who want to improve their physical well-being, strengthen their immune system, or support their cognitive abilities.
What do these consumer trends mean for beverage manufacturers?
In the future, drinks will be able to do more than ‘just’ quench thirst. They will provide nutrients, replace meals and offer exceptional flavour experiences.
As a result, a beverage manufacturer's strategic orientation will have to weigh products that serve broad markets in large-scale production against products for special applications, fulfilling specific nutritional requirements of individual consumer groups, as products with additional benefits.
This may also move the industry towards smaller product batches, which, on the one hand, are necessary due to the specific production methods for special ingredients, but, on the other hand, only appeal to a smaller consumer target group due to their personalised characteristics.
How can beverage manufacturers take up these trends?
While the classic beverage composition is confronted with flavour attributions and taste trends, the bar is also being raised to specify ingredients in beverages with additional benefits.
Scientifically based data is particularly important regarding the stability of the beverage during its shelf life; flavourings and sweeteners based on the latest findings from research laboratories can also have a decisive influence on product formulation.
It is evident that intensive research is making it possible to obtain new substances from residues that have previously received little attention. This is clearly visible in protein extraction, where numerous research projects are focusing on the production of proteins that could ultimately also play a role as beverage ingredients in the future. Therefore, beverage producers are well-positioned if they prepare for future demand based on these trends.
Beverage manufacturers go one step further when they utilise biofermentation processes to extract proteins, providing an additional nutrient source in many products. Some beverage machine manufacturers already serve this new product sector with their machine portfolio.
Health claims regulation as a hurdle in the marketing of functional beverages
Well-being and health are two different categories. This means that beverage manufacturers who want to portray a lifestyle aspect with their beverages must pay very close attention to their advertising claims to avoid being subject to the Health Claims Regulation.
This limit is often already part of the product descriptions of suppliers in the ingredients sector. There, a distinction is made between, for example, colourings, flavourings, antioxidants, or nutraceuticals.
If beverage manufacturers launch products into the field of food supplements with special formulations in the future, labelling regulations will have to be a top priority.
Hurdles could also be expected on the consumer side: Although consumers with their health-oriented requirements are currently localised in market research, market growth could nevertheless prove to be somewhat slower in practice, as initially low familiarity with the new ingredient could lead to hesitant sales.
What can drinktec achieve with regard to this trend?
All the experts are present at drinktec. With the manufacturers of ingredients and the wide range of machine and system concepts, beverage manufacturers can prepare themselves for these future scenarios and expand their portfolio. In addition to the manufacturers' offerings, the key theme of Lifestyle and health will also be given a lot of space in the supporting programme.
