The definition of ‘healthy’ is changing and fast. As consumers reframe wellness around energy, emotional balance and daily performance, the bar for functional food ingredients is rising. Off the back of conversations at Food Matters Live, we took a step back to reflect on how these shifts are playing out for ingredient brands — and why they present both a challenge and a strategic opportunity for B2B marketers.
What’s needed now is not just innovation at product level but more powerful positioning, sharper storytelling and closer alignment between science and what matters to end consumers. Here are five key shifts reshaping the landscape and how B2B F&N brands can respond.
1. Gut health is now a story about energy, clarity and balance
Consumer understanding of the microbiome has accelerated — but it’s not just about digestion anymore. People increasingly associate gut health with everyday wellbeing, from improved mood and focus to better sleep and sustained energy. Yet many brands are still defaulting to outdated, medicalised messaging around discomfort and prevention.
Ingredient brands have a real opportunity to help their customers reframe the gut health conversation — and B2B marketers are critical to making that shift land. Messaging, content and commercial materials should move beyond technical specs to show how an ingredient links to outcomes consumers care about. Framing gut health as a performance enabler — not just a health fix — can elevate its relevance and appeal.
Source: Hughes, M. (2025). FoodMattersLive presentation, FMCG Gurus
2. Fibre is underperforming — but it doesn’t have to
Fibre continues to be overlooked by consumers, despite its wide-ranging benefits across heart, gut and metabolic health. One problem? The narrative hasn’t evolved. While protein has been rebranded as a performance nutrient, fibre still feels clinical, bland and difficult to incorporate — both in diet and in product development.
This presents a dual opportunity for F&N ingredient brands. On one side, B2B manufacturers can innovate with formats that improve taste, texture and convenience — making fibre more appealing and easier to formulate with. But beyond formulation, there’s a clear role for marketers.
B2B marketing teams can support their customers by helping reframe fibre in a way that resonates with modern consumer priorities. That means shifting the messaging away from gut health and regularity, and towards satiety, sustained energy, focus and blood sugar support. The more effectively B2B marketers can link technical benefits with lifestyle-led outcomes, the more value they can bring to both their ingredient brand and their customers’ end products.
Source: Cleave, C. (2025). FoodMattersLive presentation, King’s College London.
3. Taste, texture and trust still define functional success
The appetite for functional formats is strong — from gummies and powders to fortified snacks and drinks. And amidst rising interest, consumer expectations remain high. Products need to deliver on taste, convenience and credibility if they’re going to become part of people’s daily routines.
That has implications for F&N ingredient brands and marketers alike. Ingredients must work in formats that are both efficacious and enjoyable — but that alone isn’t enough. B2B marketers have a key role to play in making sure those experiential qualities are communicated clearly. From supporting sensory claims to crafting lifestyle-driven narratives, marketers can help customers bring both the science and the satisfaction to life.
The result? More compelling end products — and stronger partnerships built on value beyond function.
Source: Insights from ‘The future of nutrition delivery’ and ‘Consumer behaviour trends in functional formats’ panel sessions at FoodMattersLive 2025.
4. Reformulation isn’t just a compliance issue — it’s a branding one
Regulatory pressure around HFSS and the backlash against ultra-processed foods are pushing reformulation up the agenda. But focusing solely on what’s being removed (fat, sugar, salt) misses the wider opportunity: to enhance nutritional value and brand equity by adding something meaningful.
Ingredient brands that position themselves as strategic partners — not just solution providers — will have the edge. B2B marketers play a central role in this, by helping brands move beyond compliance language to value-led messaging. Can your ingredient support emotional wellbeing? Boost cognitive performance? Reinforce a cleaner label? Helping customers tell that story is where real differentiation lies.
Source: Insights informed by multiple sessions at FoodMattersLive, including ‘Clean label to ultra-processed: shifting consumer perception’ (FutureBridge) and ‘Food reformulation: why change is so hard?’ (Panel featuring Nestlé, Obesity Health Alliance and Nourish Food for Life).
5. Nutrition is getting smaller, denser and more intentional
Shifts in consumer behaviour, including the rise of GLP-1 drugs and demand for convenience are driving interest in concentrated nutrition — products that deliver more in less. This could mean high-protein, micronutrient-rich formats that support energy, immunity or mood in just a few bites or sips.
Communicating the power of ‘less but better’ requires clarity and confidence. Marketers need to ensure ingredient positioning reflects this shift and that messaging helps customers speak to modern lifestyle needs. Highlighting how your ingredient supports dense, efficient nutrition without sacrificing enjoyment or trust is key.
Source: Farmer, J. (2025). FoodMattersLive presentation, Health Journalist & GLP-1 patient advocate; plus insights from ‘The future of nutrition delivery’ panel session.
Final thought
These shifts are already shaping how consumer-facing brands develop new products, how they communicate with their audiences and what they need from their suppliers in return. For B2B marketers, it’s not just about showcasing functionality. It’s about telling a bigger story: one that reflects functional food trends and aligns with the needs of health-conscious consumers.
This is how ingredient brands can move from supplier to strategic partner — and where marketers play a pivotal role in making that happen.
