KANSAS CITY — A new survey from the consultancy McKinsey and Co. indicates consumers may be shifting their interest toward products with clinically proven benefits. The trend currently is manifesting in the markets for such wellness products as over-the-counter medications, supplements and vitamins, but it is not a leap to see it reaching the food and beverage market, particularly as more companies develop products to improve cognitive focus, digestive health, immunity, sleep and other functional benefits as well as embrace the nascent food as medicine movement.

An earlier survey of wellness product users conducted by McKinsey showed they had begun shifting away from wellness products with clean or natural ingredients to those with clinically proven ingredients last year. The consultancy’s most recent survey data show the shift is even more evident today with nearly half of consumers in the United States and United Kingdom identifying clinical effectiveness as a top purchasing factor.

Survey results from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) indicate consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the impact their dietary habits have on mental health, with IFIC’s 2023 Food & Health Survey showing nearly 75% of Americans believe the foods and beverages they choose have a significant or moderate impact on their mental and emotional wellness.

As a result, shoppers in 2024 are expected to buy products that may offer sleep benefits, stress reduction and mood support, according to IFIC. The Council also expects to see an uptick of beverage offerings with prebiotic and probiotic inclusions for gut health.

“The belief that the food we eat directly influences not only our physical but also our emotional and mental well-being continues to gain traction, prompting a paradigm shift in the way we’re eating and what we’re placing in our shopping carts,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, RD, MSN, chief executive officer of IFIC.

The implications for businesses in the wellness space, in McKinsey’s view, is meeting consumer expectations for clinically proven products will require some companies to emphasize features of existing items in their portfolios, while others may need to rethink product formulations and strategy. Companies that have built a brand around other attributes, particularly those with a dedicated customer base, may not want to pivot away from their existing value proposition, but they may seek third-party certifications to support claims.

Significant hurdles for food and beverage companies interested in capitalizing on this trend are the federal regulations governing health claims and the costs associated with the studies necessary to demonstrate a benefit.

But food manufacturers should not view consumer interest in proven claims as strictly related to personal health and wellness. As the impacts of climate change become more pronounced and the public becomes more suspicious of greenwashing, marketing efforts by some companies to promote themselves as environmentally friendly when they are not, consumers may prioritize products formulated and manufactured in ways that deliver a demonstrable environmental benefit.

McKinsey’s findings show consumer ideas about what is safe and effective may be evolving. A decade in the future, product developers may look back at this point and see it as when substantiation became a core component of the consumer’s path to purchase.