Consumer concerns about COVID-19 put focus on better-for-you products

Food as medicine: It's not a new concept. A 2019 white paper from ingredients company Kerry Group found 65% of consumers seek functional benefits from their food and drink. The pandemic has amplified this attribute as a way for consumers to take control of protecting their health during a chaotic time.

In the Evergi research, nearly two-thirds of all consumers agreed an individual can substitute functional foods and beverages for some medicines. With digestive health top of mind, the COVID-concerned consumed more offerings like Icelandic yogurt. At the same time, since this group is also more likely to deal with health issues such as diabetes, they preferred low-sugar products, such as cauliflower-crust frozen pizza and hard seltzer. And they ate fewer items such as caffeinated snack bars, bean-based chips and protein cookies than the general population. Evergi suggested this may be because of the group's concerns around preservatives.

The functional products that most consumers reported purchasing during the past three weeks — the survey was conducted Dec. 3 to 14, 2020  — included energy drinks, high-protein yogurt, vitamin-enhanced water and low-calorie ice cream.

As consumers gravitate toward more of these offerings, manufacturers have been introducing more of them to the market place.