Year 3 into the pandemic, the focus has shifted from physical to mental health.

The HMT-Healthy Marketing Team, the leading global brand-building agency specializing in food & health, have just released an annual report looking at what will impact consumer choices of food and health products in 2022. The report highlights Mental Well-being as the overarching trend with manifestations from across the globe in identified trending categories such as: Food& Supplements, Sports Nutrition, Plant- based & Climate and Self-care. Main findings include:

• In Food& Supplements there is a shift from a hero ingredient to the synergistic power of nutrients, the rise of microbiome therapeutics for mental well-being and the surfacing of “vegourmet” experiences as plant- based dining that aim to help consumers feel good.
• When it comes to climate, the word “Eco-Anxiety” is now commonly used to describe the state of severe anxiety due to climate change. The report shows a gap where brands can develop a safe space where even a little action counts and makes consumers feel accomplished towards their “eco- consciousness”.
• In Self-care, one of the trends is “it is ok not to be ok” and the report highlights an opportunity for products positioned as tools for combating everyday stress, anxiety, and mood swings.
• In Sports Nutrition, the shift is towards mental balance and sharp focus that goes beyond physical strength. Innovative ingredients to enhance performance and mental health, for both active lifestyle consumers as well as professional athletes, include CBD and microbiome modulators.

Global market observations and new consumer research:

The report is a result of HMT’s market research across all continents and analysis of new product launches, as well as qualitative observations working with food and supplement companies in different parts of the world. The observation that mental well-being is more and more intertwined with consumers’ lifestyles and their food choices led to a collaborative ethnographic research project with the Master of Applied Cultural Analysis at Lund University to explore consumer relations between “Food & Mood”. The study identified four new consumer narratives behind food/supplement choices related to mental well-being.

Peter Wennström, founder of The HMT, says: “The purpose of our analysis is to draw the industry’s attention to this shift from physical health to mental health which is THE Gamechanger for anyone working with food & health products and services. It means that brand and product developers must understand how to connect to today’s consumers not only with physical benefits and rational claims but also with emotional benefits. The value chain starts in the mind of the consumer– more so now than ever before.”

For more information: Maria Pavlidou, Director Marketing Communications, +34623043468, maria@thehmt.com

About The HMT- Healthy Marketing Team

The HMT- Healthy Marketing Team is a global brand- building agency, specializing in food & health. For 15 years now, they have been helping create differentiating brands that stand out. They have global experience from more than 60 countries and six continents having worked with all food, beverage, and supplement categories. The HMT is using the FourFactors® Brand Acceleration System, an interactive, actionable, and inspiring framework for consumer and brand driven co-innovation. They also have a Consumer Lab team scouting for market trends and products as well as HMT Creative which translates brand strategy into creative execution.