Innovations, trends and promoting superfoods in busy retail establishments.
It’s a bird. . . it’s a plane. . . no, it’s superfoods! The term “superfoods” is familiar now, but it wasn’t always part of the nutrition vocabulary. And the phrase, surprisingly, doesn’t have its origin in the medical or natural health field. It was first used by The United Fruit Company around World War I and was used to market—of all things—bananas.1
Looking out at the landscape of superfoods, manufacturers weigh in on what’s trending now in this category and what the newest innovations entail. What benefits do superfoods offer that other products and ingredients don’t? Taking a closer look at the formulation, strategy, and delivery methods used most often in this category will help retailers get a better view of the superfoods market.
Trends in Superfoods and Which Products Customers Are Asking For Now
“First, do no harm.” That’s the adage that Ramona Billingslea, marketing manager at Betsy’s Health, a retailer in Texas, stated customers are looking for first and foremost. “Now, more than ever, customers want to see clean, sustainable products. Organic products are especially important in the superfoods category,” Billingslea noted. “Customers also look for potency. If they are taking a superfood product, they are certainly feeling that they don’t or can’t consume enough of the actual food to get the possible benefits they hope to attain,” she explained. “Superfood extracts can be the right fit for many of these consumers. There are also customers who like the whole food powders of superfoods that they can add to their smoothies or protein drinks.”
Billingslea pointed out that with the latest Consumer Reports’ warning that many plant proteins contain high levels of lead, third-party testing and superior manufacturers that can be trusted have become even more important to many customers.2 They, “. . . rightfully want to make sure the supplements they take to support better health first do no harm,” said Billingslea.
Co-founder of Pines International (Kansas), Ron Seibold, shared that the primary trend in green superfoods now has shifted from nutrient-dense single-serving ingredient products to blends that require much larger sizes to obtain the same level of nutrition. “Formulators of natural food products created this trend to cut costs, and the companies always make it sound good by implying somehow that more ingredients result in a ‘better product,’” said Seibold. What many customers don’t realize, he noted, is that the addition of low-nutrition, inexpensive ingredients dilutes the highly nutritious benefits of green superfoods. “Some of these ingredients are dried vegetables and fruits, which are readily available fresh in most produce departments at a much lower cost,” he explained.
Additionally, Seibold pointed out that often a new green food blend will offer stores a deal that requires large purchases, but the store is guaranteed to sell at a price up to three times the cost of the blend. “Stores that take advantage of the volume discount often push other products to fewer SKUs or off the shelf entirely to make room for a few SKUs to capitalize on the profits from the latest trendy green food blend,” he said. Profits are significant for everyone due to cost reductions from using less expensive ingredients and plastic or paper packaging. “However, these options are low-cost and ineffective compared to the oxygen-free glass bottles that scientists deemed necessary to maintain peak nutritional levels for green food powders,” he noted.
Melody Martorana, executive director of product development at the manufacturer, Emerald Labs (California), said that the biggest trends the company has noticed recently are in the areas of brain health, anti-aging and gut wellness. “These categories include adaptogens, like high-quality mushrooms, antioxidant color-rich superfood powders, and ingredients that support the gut-brain axis and healthy microbiome for both immune and focus,” she said. “We’re finding that these trends have been growing for the last couple of years, with a trending preference to clean, powdered forms.”
Laird Superfood’s (Colorado) CEO, Jason Vieth, weighed in on what trends he’s noticed in the superfoods category. “There are constantly new trends emerging in the superfood space, as consumers continue to seek out ways to naturally maintain and improve their health and wellness through food,” said Vieth. He noted that while protein was already hot, with a large and growing population of GLP-1 users, that interest is only growing. Likewise, Vieth added, “Fiber consumption and probiotics have also continued to grow recently, with more consumers looking for gut health solutions.” The interest in healthy fats, too, is continuing to rise, as is that of adaptogens, particularly with foods that provide ancient methods of consuming Eastern medicines in one’s food, stated Vieth. “Even dairy has gotten in on the act, as consumers seek out lesser processed foods and go back to some of the ‘basics.’ Consumers are better educated than ever, and they’re looking to avoid seed oils, anything artificial, and even natural flavors—which are anything but truly natural.”
At Odyssey Functional Energy, Founder and CEO, Scott Frohman, weighed in on the trends he’s noticed in this market. “We’re seeing a significant shift toward functional foods and beverages, like Odyssey, that deliver multiple benefits in a single product,” he said. Today’s consumers, he noted, are seeking solutions that don’t force them to choose between taste, health and convenience; they expect all three. “This represents an evolution from single-benefit products to multifunctional offerings that address several wellness needs simultaneously, and Odyssey is poised to dominate that market in the beverage sector,” said Frohman. When looking to the future of this subcategory, Frohman stated, “The trend of superfoods is still only in its beginning stages, and consumers will continue to want more for less, especially when it comes to their health and wellness.”
Phillip Vigeant is the CEO and founder of the Colorado-based manufacturer, PlantFusion. Vigeant stated that there are several things trending now in the superfoods category: organic, non-GMO (genetically modified organism) and glyphosate-free ingredients, transparent sourcing and supply chain visibility. Additionally, he noted that certifications like USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) organic are also being sought out. Lastly, he said that clearer labeling, especially around what “superfood” means and claims that avoid overpromising, are essential.
The Newest Innovations in the Superfoods Market
In the superfoods market, Martorana explained that both liposomal and branded, human clinically studied forms for ingredients, previously only available in commodity forms, have become more readily available and are in high demand. “These forms are considered to offer superior bioavailability and quality over standard forms,” noted Martorana. “Liposomal technology enables nutrients that may have been previously diminished or destroyed in the gut to be properly absorbed.” These forms offer the benefits of proven absorption and validated results, she said.
Frohman explained, “Plant-based alternatives and functional on-the-go nutrition have been a huge trend amongst the superfood community in recent years . . . after discovering the benefits of ingredients like lion’s mane and cordyceps, we recognized that the market is undergoing a significant evolution, moving beyond basic nutrition into the realm of targeted, functional benefits,” said Frohman. “Not only this, but also consumers want these benefits to be easily available in their everyday lives. In smoothies, snacks, drinks, and more, they want healthy alternatives that are easy to find and incorporate into their everyday lives.”
Digital Marketing Manager, Roxanne Rubash, with Performance Inspired Nutrition, a manufacturer in Pennsylvania, weighed in on innovations in this market. “We’re seeing a rise in functional superfoods—products designed to offer benefits beyond basic nutrition,” stated Rubash. The company’s Greens For Life—Organic Greens, Mushrooms & Superfoods product, Rubash pointed out, includes a mushroom blend, an antioxidant complex and digestive enzymes, which deliver more than just a daily serving of greens.
Though not an innovation per se, one fundamental element of a healthy diet is fiber. Many studies have been done over the years supporting this fact. For Seibold, this truth hit home as he visited more than 2,000 natural food stores 50 years ago with the company’s original green superfood, Pines Wheat Grass. At that time, Seibold stated Dr. David Reuben’s book, The Save Your Life Diet, was on best-seller lists. “Dr. Reuben demonstrated in cross-cultural studies that whole food fiber is the reason why indigenous people have very low rates of cancer, heart disease, and other conditions prevalent in modern society,” Seibold stated. Whole foods—unlike extracted fruit and vegetable juices—are more nutritious, he explained. “Data show that cereal grass juice powders used in blends have less than half the nutritional density of whole food cereal grass. That is because removing the fiber from vegetables and breaking the cell wall to make juice causes very rapid oxidation and nutrient loss, not to mention the loss of colon-protective fiber,” he said.
Vigeant pointed out, “Innovations in this category often focus on incorporating exotic fruits and vegetables. Unique applications, such as ‘fermentation,’ which enhances the digestion and bioavailability of superfoods, continue to trend.” He noted that there are growing uses of “extras” beyond just greens and veggies. These include things like adaptogens (ashwagandha, maca, reishi, etc.) for stress, mental health, hormone balance, and pre- and probiotics, as well as digestive enzymes, which may support gut health. Blends, too, are gaining popularity, said Vigeant, especially those that pair antioxidant superfoods like spirulina, chlorella or moringa, for instance, with more exotic and lesser-known botanicals. Lastly, he explained that dual and multi-purpose blends are hot now—these include blends for multiple issues like those that support immune health and stress relief, or energy and detoxification.
At Betsy’s Health, Billingslea explained that an important part of the superfoods market is first clarifying how they’re defined. Even though technically mushrooms are their own category, for instance, Billingslea stated that she includes them in the superfoods arena. “Our lion’s mane, reishi, cordyceps and several combo mushroom products are popular. Herbs that have been used traditionally in South America, like moringa, also do well,” Billingslea noted. “Beet products have been growing in popularity in the past few years, especially as they offer a wide range of health benefits, including nitric oxide balance. The oldie-but-goodie superpower superfood is garlic, which I think gets overlooked because ‘exotic’ contenders like acai, pomegranate, coconut oil, etc. have grabbed the spotlight,” said Billingslea.
Benefits Superfoods Offer That Other Products Don’t
Are superfoods legit, or are they simply hyped up? Some individuals aren’t sure that there is a need for these products, while others swear by them. What do manufacturers say? “Superfood nutrients are rich sources of nutritional support that can be challenging to find in a standard diet,” Martorana explained, and many superfoods are only available in certain regions of the world to be consumed fresh. “Even the best diets rich in fruits and vegetables don’t offer consistently validated amounts of antioxidants, polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids and other macro and micronutrients,” she noted. “Consuming superfood products allows customers to incorporate a variety of quality and validated nutrient-dense ingredients into their daily diet.”
Rubash stated, “Superfoods offer a wide range of benefits that support overall wellness. Many are known to help reduce inflammation, promote better health, and aid in disease prevention. A great example is beets, which are emerging as one of the most popular superfoods in the market.”
Vieth noted that the benefits of superfoods are great. They’re also quite diverse. From potential gut and digestive health to mental clarity, possibly lowering blood sugar levels and blood pressure, the list, according to Vieth, goes on and on. “There are so many superfoods delivering so many benefits that it would be impossible to summarize in one article,” noted Vieth. “Almost 2,500 years ago, the Greek philosopher, Hippocrates, said, ‘Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food’. Superfoods are nothing more than the foods that we humans ate long ago,” said Vieth, “foods that humans learned to select, grow, and harvest over thousands of years—and foods with which our bodies developed over those thousands of years to maximize nutrition and promote health and wellness.”
Frohman noted that “The primary benefits [of superfoods] are health and convenience without compromise. Superfood products, particularly functional energy drinks, solve this challenge by delivering targeted wellness benefits in formats that fit seamlessly into busy lifestyles.”
Ingredient Selections, Formulation, Strategy, and Delivery: What’s Impacting the Superfoods Market Most Now?
“Today’s consumers are increasingly educated and seeking products that are beneficial, great-tasting, and convenient,” said Frohman. “Ingredient selection and formulation have become critical differentiators; shelf position alone no longer drives purchase decisions. Consumers want transparency about what’s in their products and clear benefits that support their health goals.”
Vieth noted that, unlike the processed, packaged foods that dominate the shelves of grocery stores in the U.S., superfood products generally involve a minimal number of ingredients and undergo little to no processing. Also, “… they generally are not adulterated with fillers or flavorings or other products that are intended to trick our minds and bodies into believing that they taste good, or are in fact worthy of consumption. As a result, superfoods need to be carefully selected from reputable growers, picked at the right time, stored carefully, and handled with care,” said Vieth.
Martorana stated that a few factors are most impacting this category now. “Being ‘spoiled with choice’ is elevating our entire industry, as consumer demand is directing a higher standard of quality, transparency and expectation of results,” she said. “From a manufacturing standpoint, we also have greater choice in ingredient varieties, which also pushes demand to raw material suppliers to provide something innovative, backed by science.” This, she noted, is a positive chain effect that ultimately benefits the consumer as well as the industry as a whole.
Superfoods on the Shelves: How Can Retailers Best Promote These Products?
Busy retailers have a lot to juggle. Merchandising products is just one of a myriad of important tasks they need to stay on top of. Do manufacturing experts have tips or solutions that might help retailers better promote superfood products?
“To promote superfood products and help customers choose, retailers can combine in-store merchandising with educational resources and online content,” Martorana states. “By focusing on building trust through transparency and highlighting formulas using branded ingredients in clinically studied amounts, they can direct consumers to products that will address their concerns and support their wellness goals.”
At PlantFusion, Vigeant noted, “Retailers can capitalize on the massive awareness created by brands like AG1 and Bloom by offering comparable superfood products that deliver similar wellness benefits, but with unique, elevated features that set them apart. Highlighting innovations, such as fermented organic superfoods or whole food ingredient blends, can attract consumers seeking something beyond the mainstream options,” he noted. “By leveraging these awareness-driven trends and emphasizing superior product benefits, retailers can draw new customers and increase the basket of regular customers while strengthening their position in the growing superfood category.”
Vieth offered his advice to busy store owners and managers. “If retailers truly want to help consumers to become healthier, they need to take an active role in promoting superfood products—and other healthier foods—throughout their stores,” he said. “Setting up endcaps with multiple superfood items would help to grow interest in a healthy diet rather than just a single product. Similarly, circulars and digital marketing could be leveraged to highlight the benefits of these foods. The migration to healthier foods, including superfoods, is underway, but it’s still in its infancy and will require retailers to lean into these trends and support up-and-coming brands as they introduce their foods and generate a loyal following of consumers,” Vieth explained.
When it comes to promoting superfood products, Seibold stated that retailers can point out to customers the importance of dividing the retail price by the number of servings per container to determine the best value. Helping them to understand that single-ingredient products often cost much less than blends is another important consideration. “With dozens of ingredients in a product, you are dealing with dozens of suppliers, some not even in the United States,” Seibold noted. “Do each of these suppliers have the kind of documentation, inspection, and oversight of a company like Pines, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary for Pines Wheat Grass and its other nutritionally dense greens?”
Rubash noted that retailers play a key role in promoting superfood products by making them as visible and accessible to customers as possible. How is this done? “Eye-catching displays that highlight their health and functional benefits can draw shoppers’ attention and spark interest,” Rubash said. “Encouraging trial through coupons, discounts and bundle deals also helps consumers feel more comfortable trying new superfoods.” She noted that education is equally important. “Informative displays, shelf tags, product cards, and well-trained staff can help shoppers make confident choices, while in-store demonstrations or sampling show how easily superfoods fit into everyday meals.” Performance Inspired Nutrition uses its website and weekly blog posts to help customers and the public better understand superfoods and functional ingredients, said Rubash. “We also include QR codes on our packaging, displays, signage and advertisements that link directly to educational materials—providing quick, convenient access to trusted information that supports informed purchasing decisions.”
Frohman reiterated the importance of the basics: education and strategic merchandising, which he stated are key. “Clear shelf signage that highlights key benefits and ingredient callouts, making it easier for shoppers to compare options at a glance,” Frohman said. “Also, when team members understand the functional benefits of different products, they can guide customers toward solutions that best fit their needs.”
At Betsy’s Health, Billingslea pointed out that she’s too busy to spend much time on social media marketing. Instead, her best outreach is based on communicating to the store’s customers what it already has available for them. And this works. “Blessedly, word-of-mouth and striving to maintain the reputation we’ve earned in 30-plus years of business have served us well for our marketing purposes,” said Billingslea. “We send emails, have an app and our website.”
If she did have the time to spend on social media marketing, Billingslea noted that paying attention to how social media influences customers’ interests would be an important step. “I would think that utilizing trends on social media—like lining up promotions of the superfoods that are all the buzz in the moment—could be one of the most effective ways to market superfood products,” said Billingslea.
Superfoods offer a lot of benefits to individuals and businesses alike. While these products may be best known for the ways in which they can contribute to better health, they can also promote a healthier bottom line.VR
References:
1 “Superfoods or Super Hype?” The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chann School of Public Health. Retrieved 10/22/2025. https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/superfoods/.
2 “Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead,” Consumer Reports. Retrieved 10/27/25.
www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein-powders-and-shakes-contain-high-levels-of-lead-a4206364640/.
For More Information:
Emerald Labs, www.emeraldlabs.com
Laird Superfood, https://lairdsuperfood.com/
Odyssey Functional Energy, https://odysseyelixir.com/
Performance Inspired Nutrition, PI-Nutrition.com
Pines International, www.wheatgrass.com
PlantFusion, https://plantfusion.com/
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