business

With 'functional' beverages, brands push drinks that do more than taste good

Font size+Author:Worldly Whispers news portalSource:politics2024-04-30 16:00:33I want to comment(0)

Supermarket beverage aisles are starting to look a lot more like a pharmacy.There are sodas made wit

Supermarket beverage aisles are starting to look a lot more like a pharmacy.

There are sodas made with mushrooms that supposedly improve mental clarity and juices packed with bacteria that claim to enhance digestive health. Water infused with collagen carries the promise of better skin, and energy drinks offer to help burn body fat.

Welcome to the frenzy of functional beverages – drinks designed to do more than just taste good or hydrate. What started in the late 1980s with caffeine- and vitamin-laced energy drinks like Red Bull has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Hundreds of brands are vying for consumers’ attention with increasingly exotic ingredients and wellness-focused marketing.

Feeling stressed? Try a drink with ashwagandha, a shrub long used in herbal medicine. Want to enhance your workout? There are drinks containing chromium, a mineral that may boost metabolism. Want to get in a party mood without alcohol? Multiple companies are making non-alcoholic spirits and beers infused with ingredients like guayusa, a leaf containing caffeine and antioxidants.

Related articles
  • Relaunch of controversial program may send 'shock waves of fear' in U.S.

    Relaunch of controversial program may send 'shock waves of fear' in U.S.

    2024-04-30 14:30

  • China continues improving environmental quality despite challenges

    China continues improving environmental quality despite challenges

    2024-04-30 14:25

  • ASEAN voices opposition to taking sides

    ASEAN voices opposition to taking sides

    2024-04-30 13:57

  • Philippines urged not to disrupt peace

    Philippines urged not to disrupt peace

    2024-04-30 13:54

Netizen comments