In today’s market, when we talk innovation, the functional food and beverage segment is at the top of the totem pole. Sales projections for this category are US$279 billion by 2021, which signifies more than 60 percent growth from 2014. According to the market research firm HealthFocus, consumers are most interested in food and beverages that deliver the following benefits eyesight maintenance, metabolism boosting, detoxification, cognitive health improvement, and the promotion of stronger bones.

Consumer demand for functional products is increasing, which presents a unique set of challenges for product developers. However, it is possible to create beverage products that incorporate functional ingredients and make them taste good. There are just a few important guidelines to follow.

First, get off to the right start by remembering beverage development (or any product development project) doesn’t or shouldn’t happen in a silo. It’s crucial to assemble a multidisciplinary team to define the attributes of your product from the very beginning. Everyone on the team is working toward the same goal—making the best possible product that exceeds consumer expectations—but the earlier they’re all involved in the conversation, the better. If the marketing team wants to make certain claims on the front of the package, for instance, it’s critical the product developers are informed of those claims so they don’t have to reformulate to meet those conditions at a later date.

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