Issue Real-time health data forces products to stop trading taste against price against function

Summary

McKinsey argues that wider access to real-time health data creates both risks and opportunities for consumer companies. As people track their sleep, glucose, and other metrics, they become more discerning and more focused on results. For food and beverage players, growth is therefore shifting toward products that minimize the trade-offs consumers used to accept between taste, price, and function. The shift is already visible, with roughly half of consumers in major markets cutting back on artificial ingredients, highly processed foods, sugar, and alcohol while seeking protein- and fibre-rich foods. The report adds that these effects reach well beyond food, into vitamins and supplements, fashion, fitness, beauty, and wellness services.