Mintel predicts protein drinks will compete with supplements and health technology for growth

Food and drink brands will increasingly compete with supplements, healthcare and technology businesses as consumers combine products and services to pursue goals such as better sleep, sustained energy, healthy aging and weight management, according to Mintel’s 2027 prediction.

Published on October 19, the forecast argues that growth over the next 12 to 18 months will depend increasingly on how clearly brands establish their role in delivering a desired result. For protein drinks and other functional products, that could mean competing for spending with products outside the food and beverage aisle.

• Mintel predicts food and drink brands will face greater competition from supplements, beauty, personal care and technology businesses targeting the same consumer goals.
• Among UK consumers using functional food and drink to manage their health, 66% also take vitamins or supplements, 54% use an exercise tracker and 37% use a diet or nutrition app.
• The forecast identifies opportunities for partnerships that help consumers understand how products work together and provide evidence of their contribution.

“Consumers are increasingly starting with the outcome they want and working backwards. That could be a busy parent seeking stress-free, tasty nutrition for their family, or an Oura Ring-wearing gym-goer combining drinks, supplements, technology and lifestyle products to improve performance and sleep,” said Alice Pilkington, Mintel Food & Drink Associate Principal.

“For food and drink brands, this changes the basis of competition. A protein drink is not simply competing with another beverage, but with anything consumers believe can deliver the same result. Brands that understand how they fit alongside non-food solutions, and make those systems easier to navigate, will build stronger long-term loyalty.”

Mintel’s forecast describes consumers assembling increasingly personalized combinations of food, supplements, devices, services and guidance around how they want to feel and function. Under that approach, a purchase is judged partly by its contribution to a broader objective, rather than solely by the eating or drinking occasion it serves.

The company’s UK findings illustrate how several categories already overlap. Among consumers who use functional food and drink to manage their health, two thirds also take vitamins or supplements, while more than half use an exercise tracker. More than a third use a diet or nutrition app.

Those figures relate specifically to functional food and drink users managing their health, rather than the UK population as a whole. They nevertheless show that these consumers are already drawing on several sources of support, creating a different competitive setting for brands trying to secure their spending.

For protein products, the forecast raises questions about how benefits are communicated. Protein content remains a measurable product attribute, but Mintel’s argument suggests brands will also need to establish how a product fits into the particular goal motivating a purchase.

That could influence product development as well as marketing. The forecast places emphasis on identifying consumer outcomes that a brand can credibly support and demonstrating its contribution, rather than relying on membership of a familiar product category.

Mintel points to products and services developed for GLP-1 users as an early example of this reorganization. Weight-management food and drink are increasingly accompanied by vitamins, supplements, skincare and digital tools intended to enhance results or help manage side effects.

The example illustrates how one consumer objective can attract businesses with different products and expertise. It also creates a need for clearer guidance as consumers decide which combinations are useful and how individual purchases fit together.

Mintel expects more collaboration between food and drink companies and businesses across supplements, beauty, healthcare, media and technology. It argues that the most valuable partnerships will help people navigate choices and understand how different solutions work together, while providing stronger evidence that the intended result is being achieved.

As a retail example, Mintel highlights Waitrose’s announcement of dedicated premium in-store wellbeing bays, developed with boutique wellness brands including Ancient + Brave and TRIP.

“The food and drink sector also has a unique advantage: it is the one essential, non-negotiable part of these increasingly complex systems. That gives it the potential not merely to participate in them, but to become their foundation,” Pilkington said.

The forecast does not quantify how much spending might move between categories. Its central prediction concerns the basis on which consumers choose products and the wider range of businesses seeking to serve the same needs.

“The key strategic decision is no longer which category to win, but which consumer outcomes a brand has a credible right to support. The winning brands will be the ones that define their role clearly and prove the contribution they make,” Pilkington said.

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