Soft Drinks: Wellness and Functionality

Soft Drinks: Wellness and Functionality
Health issues are already influencing the dynamics of the soft drinks industry and this influence is likely to become more pronounced as time progresses.

Bottled water fruit based still drinks and fruit juice/nectars have gained volume on the back of an increased understanding of good health.

As consumers, they wish to ‘live healthy and die healthy’.

At the core of this concept of ‘wellness’ – an increasing awareness of physical well being and good health.

Wellness drinks are those beverages that aid health and well being. Consequently, a broad range of products can be said to fit the wellness mould: from bottled water to juice and tea based drinks as well as those with added ingredients to provide an additional functional benefits.

To feel good and be healthy has high importance for most consumers Although broader in scope than functional beverages, wellness drink span the naturally functional and the scientifically enhanced.

Functional soft drinks are defined as drinks providing a health benefit beyond their basic nutritional value, by virtue of their physiologically active added components.

Drinks providing a health benefit based in their inherent ingredients, such as mineral water, cranberry juice and green tea, can be said to be naturally functional, unless they are fortified with vitamins or other functional ingredients.

A functional can therefore be made between products functional by nature (water and orange juice) and those made functional by producers.

For functional soft drinks, the term ‘health benefits’ is used in its widest possible application and includes benefits such a improved sports performance, increased mental alertness and better skin, which would not normally be considered health benefits in the strictest sense.
Soft Drinks: Wellness and Functionality