Signal IFIC survey finds 52% of Americans actively seek functional health benefits in food

Summary

The Nutrition for Healthspan Initiative cites the International Food Information Council's 2024 Food and Health Survey as evidence of consumer demand for functional foods. In that survey, 52% of Americans said they actively look for foods and beverages that deliver functional health benefits. The benefits they most often seek relate to digestive health, immune support, heart health and energy. The Initiative uses this figure to show that interest in food as a tool for health has moved into the mainstream. It links the demand to research on the gut microbiome and to growing interest in healthy aging. Digestive health, in particular, has become one of the most established areas of functional nutrition.