Transparency Should be the Foundation
Steve Imgrund, Marketing/Communication Lead, Industry Transparency Center (ITC)As a clinical nutritionist who entered the natural products industry with a passion for health, nutrition, and natural products, I tend to shy away from geopolitical issues. However, shifts in trade, tariffs, and uncertainty through 2025 have forced me to pay attention, as these forces will undoubtedly influence business across 2026 and beyond. Additionally, several categories and consumer interests are expected to become even more critical. Companies that adapt to the new realities of trade and global business and position solutions to these demands with science-backed products will capitalize.
The first opportunity and challenge is changing customer needs and interests. Healthspan has now become mainstream and is likely here to stay. But companies must stay away from hype and exaggeration, ground marketing in credible science, back claims with real clinical data, and importantly, position products as part of a comprehensive protocol including lifestyle interventions.
A new customer segment has also emerged: people taking or discontinuing GLP-1 medications, which changes eating habits, appetite, and shopping patterns. This has led to innovation, but also to products walking the line of responsible marketing that claim to boost GLP-1 production, in some cases triggering lawsuits. Trade groups like the Global Prebiotic Association (GPA) have urged responsible, science-backed marketing that leverages natural products as complementary, such as helping improve satiety, relieve constipation, and support muscle preservation. In short, we fear that exaggerated claims will jeopardize consumer trust and the industry’s reputation.
All things “microbiome,” and broadly gut health, remain a hot category, but consumer confusion is a major hurdle. Probiotics are often lumped in with foods like yogurt, which often don’t deliver an adequate dose or validated strains. Prebiotics are gaining attention largely via soda alternatives, but dosing and sources can be misleading. Postbiotics are even more nuanced, with some arguing that they’ll never reach mainstream consumer understanding. My takeaway, moving into 2026, is that companies that clarify how different ‘biotic’ products work in multiple health concern applications (e.g. gut, skin, mood) will stand out.
In summary, transparency should be the foundation of any 2026 strategy, in supply chain, in production processes, and in marketing and claims. If not, then we’re no better than the critics throwing stones, yelling about consumer manipulation and snake oil.
