Market research company The Hartman Group recently unveiled its annual report on trends within the functional foods, beverages, and supplements market for this year. In large part, the report centered around how functionality is beginning to permeate into more segments of food products than ever before, and how the COVID-19 pandemic may be changing what functionality means to U.S. consumers at large. Data was based on surveys of 2,367 adults, weighted to be representative of the U.S. Census, in addition to a number of in-depth interviews over the phone or skype for more qualitative information, all of which took place in April.
 
“Functionality as a concept was something that consumers were already engaged with and interested in prior to the pandemic,” Laurie Demeritt, CEO of the Hartman Group, said. “The situation has definitely dialed up the needs, aspirations, and desires within this space.”
 
The Hartman Group found that one third of U.S. consumers are now using functional products daily as a result of the pandemic; 75%