New & Emerging This Year

Keeping up with current and emerging nutrition trends is crucial for brands and industry professionals. By maintaining a broad understanding of the market, it’s easier to identify what customers are looking for, where the biggest opportunities are, and how to stay ahead of the competition.

In this article – we outline the latest nutrition trends from across the industry and opportunities they present.

Whether you want to learn how healthy eating patterns are shifting, which special diets are most popular, or what the hottest new sports ingredient is, we’ve got you covered…

We’ve spent 15+ years working in the health and wellness industry, from supplement companies to leading fitness brands, so we know the market inside-out. We proactively study the ever-changing landscape, highlight new trends, and analyse the big players. For the last 5 years, we’ve shared this expertise with the wider industry through our insights articles and Research Reports which are available to purchase.

2024 Nutrition Industry Market Report

Nutrition Trends

The nutrition industry is growing at a steady rate of 6.6% a year but there are some trends within the market that are seeing even bigger growth. Topics like plant-based eating, special diets, and protein alternatives are experiencing a surge in consumer interest and demand. 

According to Kerry, one of the world’s largest manufacturers, the top 10 nutrition trends for 2024 are…

1. Women’s Health – addressing gender-specific nutritional needs throughout all life stages.
2. Cognition, Sleep & Stress – holistic approaches that support good cognitive health.
3. Microbiome – moving beyond digestive health to include microbes in other areas.
4. Affordable Nutrition – recent global events are straining economies leading to reduced spending.
5. Sodium & sugar reduction – consumer and government demands are driving decreases in these ingredients.
6. Plant Forward – meat and dairy alternatives still offer huge opportunities despite growth slowing.
7. Recovery – bouncing back from stressors such as illnesses and exercise.
8. Protein production’s future – alternative protein sources such as cultivated meat.
9. Personalised Nutrition – tailored advice and nutritional solutions backed by scientific rationales. 
10. Eye Health – the connection between nutrition and eye health is becoming more evident.

Women’s health has increased in popularity becoming the top nutrition trend for 2024. While cognitive health was a trend last year, its focus in terms of sleep and stress is new for this year. The microbiome and affordable nutrition have both increased in popularity compared with last year.

Six of the current trends in nutrition were also in the 2023 list. Four new nutrition trends for this year are; cognition, sleep, and stress; recovery; personalised nutrition; and eye health. No longer in the top ten are; functional benefits; active lifestyles (although recovery arguabley now covers this); cognitive health (also broadly covered by cognition, sleep, and stress); and hydration.

Both Kerry and McKinsey have also identified sustainable nutrition as a mega-trend over-arching all others. It’s a priority for 1/3 consumers who increasingly want food that’s good for their health, the planet, and society. Brands that can service all three aspects will be well-placed for the future. 

So, what’s driving these trends?

• Growing awareness of nutrition and desire for a healthier lifestyle
• Increasing awareness of health benefits various eating habits
• Growing preferences toward food products with natural ingredients
• Increasing concerns about weight gain and associated health implications
• Growing usage in dietary supplements
• Increasing demand for healthy ingredients from the commercial food manufacturing industry

It’s also worth noting the influential role that nutritional manufacturers (like Kerry) have in determining trends. While they have huge amounts of expertise and insights into the industry, it’s also in their interest to promote trends that support their product sales.

A cynical person might say it’s no coincidence that Kerry sells products related to women’s health, cognition, the microbiome, and eye health, which all happen to be in their top 10 trends. Others would argue that they’ve developed these products as a result of trends in consumer demand.

We think it’s important to recognise that some trends occur naturally and others are manufactured. For this reason, it’s important to look at several sources of trend rather than basing any business decisions on one set of data. In the following sections, we explore nutrition industry trends from other research companies and market leads to provide a holistic overview.

You might also like… Our Fitness & Nutrition Industry Insights Hub or How This Overnight Oats Brand Tapped Into Food Trends.

Healthy Eating Trends

Recent consumer research by McKinsey explored healthy eating trends and how they’ve changed since Covid. It found that…

• Conscious eating (health + planet + society) is a trend that’s here to stay.
• 50% of consumers say healthy eating is a top priority for them.
• Participants considered healthy eating to mean reducing consumption of processed foods and sugar, followed by fat, salt, and red meat.
• 40% of people are eating fresher, healthier foods, especially fresh produce and 33% are choosing food without artificial ingredients. 
• 40% are cooking more meals at home, where they have greater control over what they eat.
• However consumers are confused about which foods are healthy and sustainable.
• Their interest in health outweighs their interest in sustainability.
• Consumers are frustrated because retailers and food producers aren’t keeping up with their quest for conscious eating. 

These health and nutrition trends clearly highlight an opportunity for both brands and industry professionals. Whether it’s developing products that address these needs or educating audiences to reduce confusion, there are varied ways to tap into this mega-trend. 

Research shows that barriers to healthy eating appear to have decreased in recent years. Of the most common barriers reported by people, taste, price, time, limited options, and lack of willpower all seem to be decreasing. However, ‘daily habits’ as a barrier has remained stable. 

You might also like… Top Nutrition Courses for Health & Fitness Professionals.

Diet Trends

Low carb remains the most popular diet trend in 2024 while plant-based eating has become increasingly mainstream…

• In the US, a low-carb diet is the most popular (18%) followed by intermittent fasting, low carbon, keto, Mediterranean, raw food, whole 30, South Beach, Atkins, DASH, and paleo. [White Hutchinson]
• In the UK, 40% of people follow special diets – 13% low carb, 13% flexitarian, 7% gluten free, 7% lactose free, 6% vegetarian, 4% pescetarian, 4% vegan. [Statista]
• Younger people (18-24) are more likely to report food allergies and intolerances compared to those aged 35+ (30-50% vs less than 20% respectively). [McKinsey].
• Plant-based eating continues to trend upward and is going mainstream with around 50% of surveyed consumers following a flexitarian diet. [McKinsey].

You might also like… State of the Juice Industry – Latest Market Data & Analysis.

Supplement Trends

The top supplement trends identified for this year are…

1. Plant protein – protein is a consistently high-performing supplement but the popularity of plant-based formulations is growing rapidly.
2. Probiotics – increasing consumer interest is helping to drive this segment. 
3. Collagen – supplement brands have raced to incorporate this ingredient into their ranges.
4. CBD – a high-growth area in numerous wellness industry sectors including nutrition.
5. Liquid encapsulation – is a trend being driven by manufacturers to aid deliverability and effectiveness of their supplements.

You might also like… Latest Vitamin & Supplement Market Insights.

Sports Nutrition Trends

The top sports nutrition trends for this year include…

1. High protein
2. Low sugar
3. Cleaner ingredient lists
4. Indulgent protein snacks
5. Vitamin D
6. CBD and collagen for inflammation reduction
7. Hydration
8. Stimulants
9. Convenient ‘on-the-go’ formulas like gels and gummies
10. Multi-benefit products combining performance support with immunity or plant-based aspects 

While protein is a consistently high-performing trend in sports nutrition, CBD and collagen are the hottest ingredients right now. This is being driven by an increasing body of scientific research to support their efficacy, combined with relaxation of CBD restrictions.

This list is based on the combined insights of industry analysts from Food Manufacture, PB Leiner, Glanbia Nutritionals, and Grand View Research.

2024 Nutrition Industry Report

This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date nutrition industry research report available. Unlike others, you get extended access to the 2024 edition, including any updates that are made as new market data becomes available. Ideal for business planning, the report includes;

• Nutrition industry growth, revenue & future predictions
• Latest industry trends & how to capitalise on them
• Impact of recent global events & estimated recovery timelines
• Growth markets, segments & audiences including Millennials
• Financial information for the largest nutrition manufacturers globally
• Biggest & fastest-growing nutrition brands
• 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions or hassle​

2024 Nutrition Industry Market Report