Health and wellness food and drink is entering a structural reset. GLP 1 uptake, HFSS rules and ultra processed food scrutiny are shifting portfolios from pure taste experience to metabolic purpose. Winners democratise wellness at scale: Nestlé’s mass nutrition, General Mills’ value protein and PepsiCo’s fibre and functional bets. M&A now buys credibility, while success hinges on platforms that deliver clean, affordable and credible functionality.
Delivery
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Key findings
GLP‑1 rewrites food and drink playbooks
GLP‑1 adoption, HFSS regulation and rising ultra‑processed food scrutiny are accelerating a structural shift from indulgence to metabolic purpose. Winning players prioritise protein, fibre, portion control and natural cues, reshaping snacks, dairy and beverages around satiety, everyday functionality and credible health outcomes.
M&A buys functional credibility
Speed now beats gradual renovation. Mars’ acquisition of Kellanova, Ferrero’s takeover of WK Kellogg and PepsiCo’s Poppi and Siete deals show incumbents buying fibre, gut‑health and free‑from credibility outright, then scaling these platforms globally as regulation tightens and claims evidence standards rise.
From claims to capabilities
Leading players are shifting from one‑off claims to repeatable innovation engines. Danone’s Biotech Open Platform, Nestlé’s science‑led multi‑claim systems and Mars’ criteria‑based nutrition standards show how winning firms industrialise health and wellness through platforms, partnerships and evidence; not isolated launches.
Reinventing portfolios, not products
Health and wellness leadership increasingly depends on portfolio choreography. Campbell’s, General Mills and Kraft Heinz are pruning legacy assets, while PepsiCo and Coca‑Cola stretch into functional adjacencies. The strategic edge lies in reallocating capital towards fewer, scalable platforms that sell outcomes, not categories.
Affordable wellness drives penetration
The next growth battleground is democratisedwellness across food and drinks. Nestlé’s mass‑market nutrition, General Mills’ value‑tier protein and portion strategies, and Keurig Dr Pepper’s scaling of Electrolit show how affordability protects consumption frequency as private label expands aggressively across dairy, snacks and beverages.
Key findings
Global wellness shift calls for reinvention amid GLP-1 adoption and UPF scrutiny
Wellness reset: How big brands reclaim growth
Clean label and functional positioning are major avenues for growth
Strategic M&A becomes the fast track to winning in health and wellness
Dairy products and alternatives: Winning the high-protein race with science-led innovation
Dairy products and alternatives: Protein also needs regional scale
Snacks: With high fibre the new wellness test, PepsiCo and Mars take bold steps to pass
High fibre snacks will be won through scale
Ownership models shape the future of nutrition leadership
Portfolio reshaping as the core engine of future growth
Zero-sugar soft drinks require reinvention beyond sweeteners
Functional hydration becomes a platform for daily wellbeing
Protein-led dairy reinvention: Competing on satiety, functionality and scientific credibility
Clean eating demands reformulation today and identity change tomorrow
Affordable wellness is the missing piece of future portfolios
Key findings
Recommendations
Health and Wellness
Health and Wellness encompasses a number of key claims made on a food or drink products that suggest a health and/or wellness positioning. It comprises positionings relating to better for you, dietary and free from, fortified/functional, health benefit, natural and organic. Please note that data is not available at this level or other aggregated claim levels.
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