Table Talk

Functional beverages may have begun life as a niche part of the drinks market, but with them now generating billions of dollars in revenue globally, it is a sector that cannot be ignored. Just go to your local supermarket or convenience store and see how many are on offer. But where is the market heading? What are the latest developments in terms of ingredients? And what does the data show consumers are after? In this episode, which is part of a short series made in partnership with Brenntag Food and Nutrition, we seek to answer those questions. Functional drinks have a market value of around $120 billion and that covers a whole range of different products. Some are attractive to people looking to stay active and mentally alert, but there are lots of different reasons people are attracted to functional drinks. The difficulty can be in seeing which way the market is moving and where the opportunities might be. There are other challenges thrown up by adding functional ingredients to drinks, not least get