Eating and Drinking in The Anxiety Economy

Delivery

This report comes in PPT.

Key Findings

The global consumer’s default state in the 2020s will be one of anxiety

The structure of modern life makes people anxious. Traditional institutions where people have historically anchored themselves are breaking down, while the internet perpetuates a general sense that the world is chaotic. In this environment, it should be assumed that the average consumer is now highly stressed as a default setting.

A vast and amorphous “anxiety economy” has sprung up to address this

With consumers so stressed, consumer packaged goods companies have rushed in to offer products that promise to help provide an elusive sense of calm. The boundaries of this “anxiety economy” are ill-defined, but clearly food and beverages sit at the core of it. This includes both explicitly targeted functional products, as well as a wider range of products used for stress relief, without necessarily being designed for this.

“Stress eating” will need a new meaning, one that more strongly emphasises naturally healthy products and new ingredients

Evolving understanding of the relationship between mental health and food consumption provides plenty of possibilities for the food market to operate in the anxiety economy in a helpful way. Particularly important will be a greater emphasis on naturally healthy products, although fortification in the form of adaptogens will also be of great importance.

Beverages will combine traditional and cutting-edge categories

Herbal teas have served anti-anxiety purposes for centuries, and remain the dominant force in stress-relief beverages. However, they are increasingly challenged by newer products in the functional space. Functional soft drinks are the most prominent, but the emerging “no/low” alcohol space is increasingly moving in as well.