Immune support has been on the public radar a lot lately—for reasons that, at this point, are so obvious as not to need restating.

But what’s impossible to understate is the extent to which consumers, keen on toughening their inner defenses, have responded either by drafting immune-boosting supplements into the fight against emerging threats, or by seeking safe harbor in the antioxidant protection of whole fruits and vegetables.

…Or, in the case of a growing battalion, by earmarking a portion of their health-defense budgets for accumulating an arsenal of functional foods and beverages strategically formulated to strengthen immunity.

The entire health and wellness industry could gain from their efforts, wagers Cashtyn Lovan, marketing manager, Cargill Health Technologies (Ankeny, IA). As she points out, “It’s not so much that consumers are turning away from supplements,” she says, “as that they’re now expecting more from their food and beverage choices, too.”

And with brands recruiting promising immune-support ingredients into applications as appealing as they are effective, consumers are finding their expectations being met.

Read the full article on Nutritional Outlook.