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The USA remains one of the world’s most dynamic food and beverage markets, and is undergoing a significant consumer-led transformation. Five trends are actively reshaping what Americans demand from brands. For Australian exporters, understanding these shifts is foundational to building a credible US market strategy.
1. The Functional Boom
US consumers have decisively shifted from viewing food as sustenance to viewing it as preventative health. According to Euromonitor International, a third of US consumers say they will prioritise health and wellness in the next 12 months – ahead of groceries in their spending hierarchy.
The numbers back this up. The North American functional beverage market is valued at USD 61.56 billion in 2026 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.12% to reach USD 82.85 billion by 2031 (Mordor Intelligence, 2026).
Across functional foods and beverages combined, Technavio forecasts the North American market will grow by USD 50.3 billion at a CAGR of 9% between 2024 and 2029. The category has well and truly entered the mainstream: in early 2026, PepsiCo launched Pepsi Prebiotic Cola nationwide, and Coca-Cola entered the prebiotic soda category with its Simply Pop line. When the world’s largest beverage companies are reformulating flagship products around gut health, the signal is clear.
Sources: Euromonitor International Voice of the Consumer (2025); Mordor Intelligence North America Functional Beverage Market (2026); Technavio North America Functional Foods & Beverages Report (2024–2029)
2. Protein and Fibre
Protein is now a baseline nutritional expectation across all formats, not just sports nutrition. Innova Market Insights reports that three in five US consumers are actively looking to increase their protein intake year-on-year. At Natural Products Expo West 2026, protein appeared in sodas, sparkling waters, marshmallows, pasta, and savoury snacks.
Fibre is emerging as protein’s equal. Mintel’s senior director of food and drink research describes protein and fibre as “the nutrients cutting through the wellness noise in 2026 and going mainstream.” The average American consumes roughly half the 30g of daily fibre recommended by USDA guidelines. The term “Fibermaxxing” has become a genuine social media trend, and prebiotic sodas, fibre-fortified beverages, and gut-forward snack formats are proliferating across retail. Many brands are stacking both nutrients in single SKUs, recognising that modern consumers want nutritional efficiency without sacrificing taste.
The rise of GLP-1 medications (Ozempic, Wegovy etc.) is also reshaping eating behaviour at scale. JP Morgan estimates 10 million Americans were on GLP-1 treatment in 2025, rising to 25 million by 2030. Users eat less but need more nutritional value per bite, creating demand for high-protein, high-fibre, nutrient-dense formats that deliver maximum nutrition in smaller portions.
Sources: Innova Market Insights (2026); Mintel Global Food & Drink Predictions (2026); JP Morgan GLP-1 Market Analysis (2025); NielsenIQ Expo West 2026 Analysis
3. Gut Health Matters
Today’s US consumer is increasingly familiar with the full microbiome ecosystem: probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, and digestive enzymes. Mordor Intelligence identifies fermented drinks as the fastest-growing segment in North American functional beverages, forecast at a CAGR of 8.24% through 2031.
Brands like Poppi and Olipop have created an entirely new category of prebiotic sodas that have achieved mainstream retail distribution and strong cultural traction, particularly with Gen Z.
Their influence rippled through Expo West 2026, with protein sodas, creatine drinks, and mood-support beverages all borrowing the same gut-forward playbook. Mintel notes that gut health has moved from “obligatory to aspirational,” with brands using digestive wellness as an emotional hook as much as a functional claim. The taboos around openly discussing gut health are dissolving fast, with the category expanding alongside that cultural shift.
Sources: Mordor Intelligence North America Functional Beverage Market (2026); Mintel Expo West 2026 Predictions Realized (April 2026)
4. The MAHA Effect
The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has fundamentally shifted the US food regulatory and consumer landscape. Scrutiny of ultra-processed foods, artificial dyes, seed oils, and synthetic additives has reached unprecedented levels. The FDA began revoking synthetic dye approvals in 2025. California, West Virginia, and Texas all passed or introduced laws restricting additives or mandating warning labels. Eighteen states have sought waivers to restrict SNAP purchases of sugary and processed items.
Major brands responded with mass reformulations: PepsiCo replaced artificial colours in Lay’s and Tostitos, Mars removed titanium dioxide from Skittles, and Walmart pledged to clean up its private-label foods. Storyful Intelligence tracked anti-Big Food criticism on social media dropped from 34% to 21.4% following these announcements, a direct commercial reward for visible reformulation. Big-box retail buyers are already seeing clean-label product velocity increase in sales data. For Australian exporters, whose products carry a reputation for clean, natural production, MAHA represents a structural competitive advantage.
Sources: Modern Retail / Digiday MAHA Analysis (December 2025); Food Dive MAHA Year in Review (2025); Wiley Food Industry Outlook (January 2026)
5. The Supplement Aisle
Ingredients that once required a trip to a health food store are now embedded in RTD coffees, gummies, sparkling waters, and everyday snack bars.
Collagen has anchored the “beauty from within” movement into mainstream food and beverage. Products range from RTD collagen cold brews and collagen protein lattes to beauty-focused hydration drinks and protein bars. Brands are targeting skin, hair, nail, and joint health through everyday formats, and the lines between nutrition and beauty are blurring permanently.
Creatine, once confined to sports nutrition, is now appearing in gummies, RTD beverages, hydration products, and formulations alongside collagen, electrolytes, and adaptogens. Mintel noted creatine spanning categories far beyond traditional sports nutrition, repositioned for a broader demographic. Grand View Research estimates the global creatine supplements market will grow from USD 1.37 billion in 2025 to USD 8.68 billion by 2033. The GLP-1 influence is felt here too: Mintel highlights “nutrient densification”(maximum nutrition in minimum volume) as a direct response to GLP-1 users who eat less but cannot afford nutritional shortfalls. More than one in five GLP-1 users develop a nutrient deficiency after a year on treatment, creating significant demand for products that pack in collagen, protein, fibre, and micronutrients efficiently
Alongside collagen and creatine, functional mushrooms, magnesium, and nootropics are all appearing across food formats, part of a broader consumer expectation that everyday products should deliver targeted, supplement-level benefits.
Sources: Food Institute 12 Trends at Expo West 2026 (March 2026); Mintel Expo West 2026 Predictions Realized (April 2026); Grand View Research Creatine Market (2025); Euromonitor Food & Nutrition Insights (2026)
The Opportunity for Australian Exporters
These five trends share a common thread: US consumers want products that are clean, purposeful, and credible. Australian food and beverage businesses, with their strengths in natural ingredients, clean production, and provenance storytelling, are well-aligned to meet that demand. The US market is competitive and complex, but the consumer appetite for what Australia does well has never been stronger.
About Export Connect
Export Connect is an Australian export consultancy specialising in helping food and beverage businesses enter and grow export markets. Export Connect is hosting a USA Market Insights & Networking Session at Fine Food Australia on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, 8:30-10:00 am at MCEC, Melbourne. The session features direct insight from active US buyer EUROK Inc., which distributes across all 50 US states and is actively building an Australian brand portfolio. Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/usa-market-insights-and-networking-session-at-fine-food-australia-2026
Fine Food Australia 2026 takes place 31 August – 3 September at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. Four days, thousands of products, and one unmissable event for Australia’s foodservice and hospitality industry. Discover the latest in food, drink, equipment and technology, connect with suppliers, source new products and attend live demonstrations, all under one roof. Entry is free for trade professionals. Register now →