Entering the Age of Health & Wellness

If I could only choose one prevailing trend to tap as the leader at IFT this year, I’d unequivocally cast my vote for health & wellness. In fact, even if I had to choose the top three trends, they would more than likely encompass subsidiary concerns of health & wellness.

Whether related to nutraceuticals, general fortification or reducing fat, sugar and/or calories, folks from all walks of the industry have taken health and run with it. Such concerns (and others…) are the future of product development, and the future is now.

But anyone who has played this game for any appreciable length of time instantly knows that despite collective, mass trending of multiple concepts in a single, general direction—and the intense momentum behind that behemoth—getting consumers to bite is an altogether separate matter. All roads may lead to Rome, but some are clearly more navigable than others.

Over the next few days, as I decompress and sort through the myriad, scattered materials and ideas I’ve collected, I’ll pass along some nuggets of interest.