Women have complex nutritional needs that change over time. Perhaps for similar reasons, women tend to read food labels more than men do. Plus, they are more likely to be early adopters of those food and beverage products that provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Because of this, functional food -- especially those specifically addressing women’s health concerns and unique nutritional needs -- are proliferating. But, more than that, processors who are savvy enough to “get in touch with their feminine side” and create such foods and beverages are prevailing in today’s retail market.

In a position paper on functional foods published August 2013, in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, co-authors Kristi Crowe, Ph.D., and Coni Francis, Ph.D., note that the global functional food and drink market is expected to reach $130 billion by the year 2015.