Functional Flour Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The global functional flour market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.11% during the forecast period (2022-2027).

The COVID-19 pandemic was seen disrupting the market growth. Its impact was severe during the initial few months of lockdown, where even with the rising demand for functional flour ingredients, key players and organizations across the globe reported their inability to battle logistical concerns. However, the market has been recovering, making the impact marginal over the later months of 2020, as the food & beverages sector continued to combat new daily challenges, supply chain disruption being the major of them. Furthermore, the pandemic also resulted in creating opportunities for many private players to emerge in the market to cater to the inflated demand for food ingredients, which in turn benefitted the ingredient manufacturers.

Functional flours are modified wheat or non-traditional flours that claim to improve health and provide enhanced health benefits beyond that the nutrients found in flour. Functional flour may also include flours that are fortified with vitamins, herbs, and even nutraceuticals.

Consumers worldwide are striving to adopt a combination of grains, cereals, and lentils in their everyday food for essential nutrients. In addition, increasing gluten allergies is stoking demand for non-wheat-based flour. This is stoking demand for functional flours that are composed of soy flour, rye flour, and oat flour, among others.

Key Market Trends

Increasing Consumption of Nutrient-Enriched Foods to Improve Overall Health

The increasing demand for nutrient-enriched foods due to the hectic lifestyle of people and the rising awareness of the health benefits of these foods among them is predicted to drive market growth. This has led the consumer interest in diet and health, which increased the demand for functional foods. The prevalence of obesity is growing in all developed countries globally. Therefore, consumers are inclined toward foods containing functional ingredients to reduce the risk of certain health conditions such as obesity, weight management, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The hectic lifestyles and increasing stress have contributed to the prevalence of such health disorders. In general, people have the tendency to consume meals three to four times a day. This has created a negative impact on people's health. The growing awareness and shift in eating habits have led to a trend of eating smaller meals during the day. These factors have given a boost to healthy foods and the replacement of meals with healthy biscuits, snacks, and energy or protein bars. Also, the growing trend of on-the-go snacking is becoming extremely popular among children, owing to their need for regular meals, while adults prefer them due to hectic lifestyles. Other factors, such as growing disposable income, ease of carrying, and increasing health concerns, are also augmenting the market growth.

North America Holds the Major Share

Functional flour is gaining popularity for its cost-cutting, nutritional benefits, thickening, texture, and taste enhancements. However, the trend of gluten-free and clean labels is the primary factor driving the market. North America dominates the market with a high awareness of product efficiency and the demand for premium products. New trends in the United States functional bars reveal that the demand for functional food products has been increasing in the country. The fortification of granola/ muesli bars and food products with omega3 fatty acids, calcium, fiber, and others has been trending in the United States marketplace. The increase in consumption of nutritive convenience and fortified food and the growing health awareness is leading to increased consumption of healthier diets, thereby driving the market. As the health care expenditure pattern in the country is growing each day, therefore, consumers in the country are adopting preventive healthcare measures, such as eating nutritious food. This factor is further driving the overall sales in the country. However, the growing influence of western culture has boosted the demand for high protein and nutrient foods.

Competitive Landscape

The global functional flour market is fragmented and competitive, with a large number of players operating at regional and local levels. The key players in the market adopted expansions & investments in function flour as their growth strategies. Some of the major companies in the functional flour market are Cargill Inc, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Associated British Foods, Ingredion Inc, and Sunopta Inc, among others. Product innovation and development is the most adopted strategy by the players operating in the market, followed by mergers & acquisitions and expansions for increasing their visibility and portfolio of offerings. Manufacturers are focusing on providing ingredients that increase the shelf-life of the product.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support

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