The functional food revolution is here

Consumer health engagement moves both quickly and slowly. TikTok trends in early 2026 suggest a hunger for edutainment with ...

1. #fibermaxxing making it to the fore highlighting fibre as the new wellness frontier, delivering digestive and metabolic benefits

2. Energy and sustainable eating (tapping into the surge of GLP-1 adopters wanting more sustainable ways to eat) hashtag#highproteinrecipe and #balancemeals (so popular that even M&S ready meals have tapped into the trend).

3. hashtag#resetmeals with broths, veggie dense bowls and fermented foods and vinegar stealing the spotlight, helping people to reset their diets

The reality is that consumers want quick fix solutions ...

In 1987, Danone launched Activia with probiotic strain Bifidus Regularis/Actiregularis as a functional food, to improve digestive health. laying the foundations for microbiome messaging, and the pathway for functional foods.

While digestive discomfort was well understood by those impacted by it, even during workshops in Tennessee in 2017 (30 years later), it was clear that the concept of gut health, and managing your health from the inside out, would still take education and time.

Fast forward to the 2020's and many of the food, personal care and pet-care innovations we work on today continue to have functional benefits, frequently with the microbiome at their heart. Unsurprising given the battle that brands are having with own label and the need to carve out a premium difference.

There is still so much to learn about the power of the microbiome and how it can help us to live fuller, healthier lives for longer, and lay the foundations for our children and even our pets. We have had the great privilege to discuss microbiome science with many scientists in R&D across industries and am excited about both the functional and real-food revolution.