Wellness is no longer a niche topic in the food & beverage market: according to Circana, consumers with a consistent approach to health and diet quality account for about 40% of total sales in the sector. In economic terms, we are talking about $708 billion across retail and foodservice in the U.S.: $402 billion in retail (+2% vs the previous year) and $306 billion in foodservice (+8%), for an overall growth of about +5%.
Three growth spaces for food & beverage: fiber, "healthy convenience" and "mood food"
The market addressing wellness needs keeps expanding and changing shape: there is no longer a single definition of what is "healthy", because motivations and behaviors diverge by age, lifestyle, channel and consumption occasion.
Within this scenario, the data converge on three growth spaces that are particularly interesting for producers, brands, distributors - in addition to the retail and foodservice sectors:
- Fiber-rich foods
- Healthy and convenient meals (healthy convenience)
- Mood food (emotional well-being and pleasure)
The most useful part, however, is understanding where demand comes from, who is accelerating it, and how to translate it into product ranges, innovation and credible communication.
Generational factors, channels and consumption habits
Even if Circana's data refers to the United States, globally for many companies along the supply chain (both those operating in domestic markets and in import/export) it still represents an early signal: trends such as "high protein" foods, attention to ingredients, social commerce and new behaviors linked to GLP-1 are already influencing innovation, formats and positioning outside the U.S. as well. For this reason, also in Europe, Asia and other markets, this type of research is useful to anticipate trends and break them down based on generational factors and different consumption habits.
A huge market, with a precise generational distribution
A first point, often underestimated, is that current spending is driven mainly by Gen X and Baby Boomers. In value terms, Circana estimates that food & beverage spending is driven mainly by Gen X (33%) and Boomers (32%); Millennials account for 28%, while Gen Z today accounts for about 5% (as they are still dependent on families, but the share is expected to grow as age and purchasing power increase).
Also in the "healthy" segment (foods and beverages linked to health, prevention and well-being) the spending base remains older: Boomers represent about 52% of the dollars in the health-focused segment, with a very high spending index compared to the average.
This does not mean younger generations are irrelevant: on the contrary, in many areas (fiber-rich foods, social-based marketing, new functional formats, beverages linked to well-being) it is precisely Gen Z and Millennials who introduce languages and habits that then spread. The key difference, for those who produce or distribute, is to stop treating the "healthy" sector as a single block: it is better to think in terms of distinct groups, purchase channels and consumption occasions.
#1 Fiber: from "forgotten nutrient" to cross-cutting driver
The first growth space concerns fiber. In particular, so-called "fiber mood foods" are emerging: products and food choices in which fiber is no longer just a nutrition metric, but an element associated with digestion, regularity, satiety and overall well-being.
The most interesting aspect is who is accelerating the phenomenon: Circana data show that, in many cases, fiber-related growth is driven clearly by younger generations, even when their overall economic weight is still limited.
Another striking fact is how fast some trends can be (also fueled by social dynamics), causing on some product categories very sharp year-over-year changes.
A concrete example comes from the fresh department (U.S. data): across several products known to be rich in fiber, year-over-year changes are particularly strong among Gen Z and Millennials. Broccoli and carrots show respectively +27% and +31% in Gen Z units (with more contained growth in other cohorts). Raspberries also grow by 39% among Gen Z, while pears grow by 15% (but decline in older generations).
These are signals that suggest a key point: for part of young consumers, preferences are shifting toward naturally fiber-rich foods (such as fruit and vegetables) and toward packaged products with this type of on-label messaging, which reveals an intentional and considered choice.
Alongside fresh, the other aspect of the fiber trend is the world of claims (with on-label messages used to communicate a product benefit at a glance, for example on its nutritional or functional profile). Circana notes that products with "high/source of/more fiber" messages grow only slightly overall, but with a very skewed generational profile: +32% in Gen Z and +16% in Millennials, versus minimal increases among more mature consumers.
In summary, consumption splits between naturally fiber-rich foods and products with an explicit claim: in the latter case, brands tend to communicate this nutrition profile in a way that is understandable and desirable, with language and formats suited to real consumption occasions.
More attention to labels and nutritional features
Here, two cross-generational elements come into play. The first is growing attention to labels: overall, 62% say they "agree" or "strongly agree" that they pay attention to them while shopping. The second is the conceptual closeness between fiber and other trending benefits among young consumers: for example, pre/probiotic claims and those linked to energy perform better mainly among Millennials and Gen Z (especially Millennials).
#2 Healthy convenience: eating well has to become practical
The second growth space is healthy and convenient meals (hence the term "healthy convenience"). It is an area that involves product innovation, as well as the shopping experience (in retail) and menu offerings (in foodservice).
The premise is almost counterintuitive: even if wellness is increasingly important, it is not always the main factor driving choices away from home. The wellness trend is higher in meals eaten at home than in out-of-home occasions, where time pressure, convenience, pleasure and gratification more often come into play.
The share of at-home meals motivated by wellness is 21% overall, but rises to 29% among wellness-oriented consumers (those who declare they consistently follow a healthy and balanced diet), versus 17% in the rest of the sample. In foodservice, on the other hand, traffic motivated by light and healthy meals is 12% overall, 17% among wellness-oriented consumers and only 8% in the rest of the sample.
The share of consumers who define themselves as "healthy" in foodservice has grown from 37.1% (2019) to 43.8% in 2025 (12 months ending in October), with a +2% vs 2024. There is therefore a broader audience that identifies with a healthy diet, but out-of-home occasions still have to meet expectations linked to the sensory profile and the overall experience.
Health and convenience go hand in hand
For companies and retailers, growth comes from both the health angle and convenience (whether in preparation or consumption). Younger consumers show a gap in cooking skills and in managing meal preparation, so the market calls for products and solutions that make the healthy choice easier even for those who cannot follow complex recipes or more labor-intensive processes in the kitchen.
In retail, this trend supports an expansion of the range of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products, as well as semi-prepared formats, with truly simplified usage instructions and offers aligned with shoppers' motivations and purchase intentions.
Wellness-focused families
An operational signal also comes from different sales channels: wellness-focused families tend to overperform in mainstream grocery channels such as supermarkets and hypermarkets. In addition, these families are more likely to buy online (purchases on websites or apps are more than 20% higher than the average). Among Millennials and Gen X this online propensity is even more marked.
The role of protein, labels and new trends
Within the "healthy convenience" space, three concurrent factors intertwine: protein, attention to ingredients and GLP-1. On the protein front, the percentage of consumers who say they are increasing protein intake in their diet rises again in 2025, with a particularly high figure in Gen Z: 51.0% (vs 43% for Millennials, 46.5% for Gen X and 38.5% for Boomers). In foodservice, the use of "high protein" descriptions in menus also grows over time: the share of restaurant visits where this aspect is relevant goes from 8.0% (2019) to 11.4% in 2025, with a peak among Gen Z (15.5%) and Millennials (13.2%).
On the ingredients side (clean label), a central theme is the growth in the share of consumers who say they want to avoid ultra-processed foods: 27% among all adults, rising to 30% for Gen Z and to 34% for Millennials and Gen X, with Boomers at 32%. This does not imply a generalized rejection of industrial production processes, but it makes it more important to communicate what is (and is not) in products, with simple and verifiable messages.
Finally, the GLP-1 topic, i.e., drugs that reduce appetite and portions and, consequently, push toward more functional choices (protein, fiber, hydration) and less sugar. It is estimated that, by September 2025, 23% of U.S. households were involved in GLP-1 use, and it highlights that the main motivation is weight management, which has grown by 41 points compared to 2021 among consumers' stated needs. Foodservice is also experimenting: for example, the Smoothie King chain has a "GLP-1 support" menu, with a target that tends to focus on the 35-44 age group and on women.
# 3 Mood food: emotional well-being, energy and pleasure (without feeling guilty)
The third growth space concerns well-being beyond nutrition: energy, focus, relaxation, sleep, stress management, but also pleasure and social connection. The wellness economy includes physical, mental and emotional dimensions, and food becomes a tool that contributes to these objectives.
In this context, the relevance of so-called mood foods (foods and beverages chosen for their perceived effect on mood, energy, relaxation or balance during the day) and "treat" occasions (moments when people allow themselves a small reward or gratification, even just for pleasure or sociality, without it necessarily being a full meal) is increasing.
Foodservice numbers are particularly indicative: even if total volume is down compared to 2019 (about -6% in 2025), the share of visits motivated by the desire to treat oneself/reward oneself increases sharply, with growth of about +30% over the same period.
In addition, a significant share of consumers associates sweets with an emotional benefit: 35% say that chocolate and cocoa-based products support mental well-being, and 31% say the same for non-chocolate sweets. Among 18-24 year olds, these percentages rise to 43% and 39.5% respectively. In other words, the search for gratification is a behavior that coexists with more conscious diets.
This growth space does not concern only desserts. There are several examples of "benefit-oriented" innovation that sit between function and pleasure: products with high protein, offerings with functional ingredients, lines linked to digestive health and everyday well-being. The key takeaway for the supply chain is that mood food is becoming a language and it explains why a product is useful (energy, relaxation, balance) without giving up the sensory experience.
For those operating in retail and distribution, the mood food space also calls for revisiting the assortment: not only supplements or specialist categories, but everyday products (snacks, beverages) that offer simple, easy-to-understand benefits. In foodservice, instead, it means recognizing that "feeling good" can also mean treating yourself: this is why activities linked to snacks, ice cream and beverages are growing at sustained rates.
How to turn the three growth spaces into a supply chain strategy
If fiber, healthy convenience and mood food are the three most promising territories, the real difference is made by the way companies make them accessible.
We need to consider motivations: consumers embrace an approach based on the core aspects linked to health, where food choices and physical activity are among the main factors contributing to well-being (both are stated by 51% of adults).
In addition, younger generations also experience well-being as emotional and social balance, in a context where the purchase journey is increasingly influenced by digital content.
The influence of social media
For communication this is crucial: cooking and recipes, for example, are often discovered via social. Among Gen Z, 56% indicate social media as a source of inspiration for recipes (overall it is 38%). A significant share of consumers is more likely to engage with advertising on social compared to traditional websites (Gen Z at 57%, Millennials at 51%), and identifies platforms such as TikTok and Instagram among the main product discovery places for young people.
See also: "TikTok and food trends: why they go viral and how the food supply chain can respond".
Facilitating purchase decisions
In this framework, some guidelines become particularly concrete:
- Fiber: it is worth focusing communication on "understandable benefits" (digestion, satiety, balance) and on formats consistent with consumption habits (snacks, breakfast, functional beverages), while maintaining a credible profile with recognizable ingredients.
- Healthy convenience and lower complexity: appropriate portion sizes (neither too large nor too small), clear and quick instructions, recipes in a few steps, ready or semi-ready products rich in protein and/or fiber, labels that point to digital content (for example via QR codes) that are easy to access, informative and designed to showcase the product's value
- Mood food and integration between function and pleasure: to avoid opposing health and pleasure, it is necessary to build occasions in which the product is an enabler, not a compromise, considering different emerging needs such as well-being, relaxation and social connection.
In summary, the three growth spaces are not separate aspects, as they are driven by a consumer who wants to eat healthier, but in a way compatible with time, budget, ease of preparation and the need for gratification. And for the supply chain - from producers to distributors, up to supermarkets, large-scale retail, deli counters and foodservice - the opportunity is to translate these signals into product ranges and credible communication that work in the channels and moments that drive purchase decisions.
