There is a clear shift in the nutrition industry toward “hybrid” or “mashup” products, Morgan said. Rather than developing single-focus supplements, brands are now deliberately blending categories such as protein with hydration, electrolytes, fibers, or other functional ingredients, as consumers increasingly seek ‘bang for buck’, he noted.
“If you see a trend over here and over there, why not put it together?” Morgan said.
Trending nutrition ingredients
Ingredients such as collagen and magnesium are as ‘fundamentally important’ as they were at last year’s Vitafoods Europe event, Morgan noted.
“Those two ingredients are still central, but the bigger principle is this idea of reinvention or reimagination, which is something we talk about a lot,” Morgan noted. “We once framed it as a trend, but now I think it’s really just a fundamental principle of how the industry evolves over time.
“If you look at ingredients like collagen and magnesium, the conversation has now expanded into electrolytes and hydration,” Morgan said. “There are so many companies offering solutions built around those foundational consumer needs.”
He also noted that creatine has had a ‘remarkable resurgence’ as new benefits and broader use cases have emerged.
“That’s driving huge interest across the industry, with lots of companies trying to enter that space in some form,” Morgan said.
Protein’s evolution accelerates
Last year’s trend spotting observed that, despite being well-established, protein was evolving across diverse formats, giving rise to “protein-ified” products that cater to specific functional needs.
“Looking back, it’s funny that we ever described protein as a trend because it’s so well established,” Morgan said. “What we had seen, though, was protein accelerating into virtually every possible format, especially across mainstream food products.”
The industry is seeing this momentum continue, ‘often from brands you wouldn’t necessarily expect’, he said.
Furthermore, protein sources themselves are becoming one of the bigger themes.
“There’s significant price pressure around whey protein at the moment,” Morgan said. “Many people may not realize just how challenging the cost per kilo of whey concentrate and isolate has become, and supply is also an issue.
“In fact, there are exhibitors here with very little product to sell, which is fascinating in itself.”
As a result, interest in complementary protein sources is accelerating, be that plant protein, fermentation-derived proteins, mycoprotein, yeast-based solutions, or something else.
“Protein is still the key buzzword, but now the conversation is becoming much more focused on which protein sources will dominate and how they’ll be used,” Morgan said.
Hybrid ingredients and functional mashups
Morgan noted a clear rise in hybrid ingredient combinations with protein as well as other ingredients.
“If we were going to frame a trend for this year, it might actually be ‘hybrid’,” Morgan said. “That can mean different things to different people, but we’re definitely seeing a rise in hybrid ingredient combinations within the protein space.
“That’s a significant shift and something we’ll continue to see accelerate over the coming months.”
This, he noted, is evident in trending formats such as functional foods.
“Drinks are a very accessible format,” Morgan noted. “Naturally, they support hydration and electrolyte delivery, but brands are also adding protein, prebiotic fibers and other functional ingredients into those products.”
He added that consumers want convenience and value, and as people can only consume so many separate products, combining benefits into one solution is intuitive and commercially very appealing.
“Ultimately, that combination effect — blending ingredients, benefits and categories together — is becoming a huge area of innovation because brands need ways to stand out in an increasingly crowded market,” Morgan said.
However, gummies, which are now starting to ‘mirror the role they’ve played in the U.S.’ in Europe, are driven by momentum for specific trending ingredients such as creatine and lion’s mane.
“Consumers are becoming excited about gummies that deliver specific functional benefits, rather than just traditional multivitamin gummies, which perhaps don’t feel quite as exciting anymore,” Morgan noted.
Predictions for nutrition trends 2027
Morgan noted one of the biggest changes this year compared to last is that concepts such as GLP-1 and longevity have become deeply embedded within the industry.
“They’ve become fundamental pillars of the sector — probably more so than many previous trends ever did,” Morgan said. “I think that’s a really important shift for people to reflect on.”
He noted that many of the trends like hydration, creatine and hybrid formats, may also become similarly established pillars over time.
“The challenge for everyone in this industry is to stay slightly ahead of the curve,” Morgan said. “Hydration and creatine, for example, have already been major consumer trends for the past 18 months.
“The real question now is: how do companies identify the next wave of consumer demand before it fully arrives? That’s the challenge.”