How superfood trends are conquering the sweets trade

Superfoods have long since conquered the global markets. According to market research by Fortune Business Insights , Europe was the second biggest market worldwide for superfoods in 2024. The increased demand is being driven by various food and organic trends . These include for example plant-based food, transparency in production as well as a growing awareness for health. Because: Superfoods are considered to be a versatile source of valuable nutrients. Consuming them is said to have health-promoting effects. In the meantime, the trend towards quinoa, matcha and co. has also arrived in the world of sweets. More and more brands are developing products that aim to combine sweet indulgence with functional benefits.

Thanks to its high amino acid content, quinoa is considered ideal for a plant-based diet. Furthermore, it contains diverse nutrients like magnesium, B vitamins and antioxidants.

Brands particularly like to combine it with chocolate:

• Ritter Sport offers a vegan bittersweet chocolate with quinoa crisps called "Crunchy Almond". In this way, the brand is targeting just under 900,000 vegans in Germany with a vegan alternative to traditional chocolate – as the first high-volume manufacturer to do so.
• The Belgian chocolate brand, Meurisse, adds puffed quinoa and pink pepper to its dark chocolate. It offers the customers a complex, sensory taste experience with sustainably sourced cocoa.

Acai berries are considered to be a natural source of energy because they contain a range of vitamins and minerals like magnesium. They are said to have a supportive effect – both in strengthening the immune system and heart as well as protecting against oxidative stress.

Lindt is lending its classic chocolate concepts an exotic twist: Chocolate balls from the "Sensation Fruit" series contain a fruit core consisting of blueberries and acai berries. The traditional company is not only addressing current sweet trends in this way, but also customers, who like trying something new.

Chia seeds are considered to be high in fibre and provide many unsaturated fatty acids as well as nutrients like calcium and plant-based proteins. That is why they are frequently used in muesli, smoothie bowls and similar products.

The seeds are also being used in the course of the current superfood trend in the sweets industry:

• Kookie Cat, a brand of the Bulgarian company, Smart Organic AD, offers a cookie containing lemon and chia – free of gluten, palm oil and refined sugar. It is sold and advertised in around 50 countries as a healthy and tasty alternative to common biscuit varieties.
• With its "Goji & Chia Broken Bar", Edelmond targets all customers, who enjoy dark chocolate with dried fruits, nuts and chia seeds. As a result of the "bean-to-bar" process, the company promises transparency in production – strengthening the customers' trust.

Maca roots are also increasingly being used for products in bar form. The plant is considered to have an adaptogenic effect and support stress and hormone regulation. Since they are rich in nutrients, maca roots are often sold as natural energy boosters.

Natural Love produces vegan organic fruit bars that contain cranberries and maca. Hence, the start-up that is actually a food supplement manufacturer is picking up on the current superfood trend in the sweets industry. It is addressing a health-conscious target group that is seeking alternatives to conventional chocolate bars and products without added sugar.

Goji berries are said to have an invigorating effect because they contain a multitude of vitamins. What's more, thanks to them being high in fibre, they also regulate blood sugar levels. Compared to goji berries, matcha is one of the more recent superfoods found on the sweets shelves. The green tea powder is said to stimulate the metabolism. Its high antioxidant content is believed to strengthen the immune system and heart and to have an anti-inflammatory and detoxicating effect.

Both superfoods have already been used in muesli and smoothies for some time and as an ingredient in food supplements. A really new trend: Manufacturing companies are bringing their products out in fruit gum form and thus positioning functional food close to sweets.

• Reprise Health, an American brand, uses goji berries for example in their vegan fruit gums that were developed based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The company has its finger on the pulse of the target group by combining cultural authenticity with the current superfood trends.
• The brand Bear With Benefits produces bear-shaped fruit gums containing matcha. The fruit gum snacks in bear-shaped form, are for example sold in various drugstores, with the company combining beauty and wellness arguments with the positive image of sweets in its marketing.

The current superfood trends in the sweets industry demonstrate how radically the behaviour of many consumers is changing: Ideally, sweets shouldn't simply "taste good" today – they should be healthy and offer functional added value. ISM 2026 is exactly the right place for people interested in further innovative sweets and taste trends as well as new market impulses. Cologne will once again become the marketplace for trends and product innovations and the international meeting point for decision-makers from the sweets and snacks industry from 1 to 4 February 2026.