In the US, we see lots of supplemented foods and beverages on the supermarket shelves. But in Korea, they’ve taken functional drinks to a whole new level with a fiber-enriched beer. Billboards in Seoul tout it as “The Stylish Beer with Fiber.” This is a great example of taking functional foods way too far.
Functional foods and beverages that have had success tend to be products that make cultural sense such as calcium + orange juice. This works for consumers because orange juice is opaque, the calcium is more readily dispersed. Calcium is opaque, orange juice is opaque...makes sense. (Calcium and carbonated soft drinks...not so much.) And, to consumers, calcium and orange juice already signify a healthy way to start the day. A functional product that has been less successful is Special K protein water, one reason being protein is perceived as being at the very least opaque and not exactly thirst quenching.
While stylish beer with fiber may seem like a great way to get some more fiber in your diet, it takes away from the original reason we drink beer: a quenching bit of escapism that makes life seem more interesting and fun. Fortified fiber will continue to do well in the more sober and inherent breakfast isle.