According to Mintel's 2025 US Carbonated Soft Drinks report, 41% of American consumers paid closer attention to their diet in 2024.
In the snack bar segment, 87% say they are willing to pay a premium for at least one meaningful health benefit.
These numbers are not projections. They describe a market that has already changed.
At Alland & Robert, we have worked with gum arabic for more than a century. We have watched this ingredient be taken for granted, used quietly in formulations without always being named, promoted, or fully understood for what it can deliver.
That era is changing. Brands are now asking exactly the questions gum arabic is well placed to answer. -ABSTRACTEND--
The better-for-you (BFY) revolution in beverages: a formulator's opportunity
The decline of classic full-sugar carbonated soft drinks is reshaping the category. Consumers are not simply drinking fewer traditional soft drinks; they are seeking alternatives that justify the purchase beyond taste.
PepsiCo's acquisition of Poppi and Suja Life's revival of Slice are strategic signals that the BFY segment has become a serious growth arena for the industry's biggest players.
What does a BFY beverage need to deliver? Fewer added sugars, certainly, but it also needs to offer something positive: fibre, digestive support, functional benefits and ingredients that consumers can recognise. This is where gum arabic becomes a genuine competitive asset.
Gum arabic is a soluble dietary fibre that can be incorporated into beverages at meaningful levels without compromising taste, mouthfeel or clarity.
It is permitted for use in food by the US FDA, can support fibre declarations in the US and has evidence supporting beneficial physiological effects.
In a category in which brands such as Poppi have built their positioning around gut health, gum arabic offers formulators a scientifically grounded, label-friendly route to fibre enrichment, without some of the formulation challenges associated with inulin or chicory root fibre.
Nutrition and performance bars: beyond protein, towards naturalness
The US snack bar market tells a parallel story. Mintel's 2026 report makes clear that protein has become table stakes.
Brands such as Barebells and David Protein show the strength of high-protein positioning ... but the next competitive frontier is already emerging: natural ingredients, cleaner labels and functional differentiation beyond macronutrients.
Generation Z, now a powerful force in this category, is nutritionally sophisticated. They read labels. They use apps like Yuka.
They understand the difference between a fibre source derived from tree exudate harvested in the Sahel and a synthetic binding agent.
That distinction matters, and brands that can tell a credible, traceable ingredient story are better placed to earn both loyalty and a price premium.
For bar manufacturers, gum arabic brings multiple technical benefits: it acts as a natural binder that improves texture and cohesion, contributes soluble fibre to the nutritional panel and maintains a neutral flavour profile that does not interfere with the product's taste architecture.
It is also compatible with plant-based protein systems, a particularly relevant advantage as the market continues to explore vegetable protein sources.
The clean label imperative: gum arabic as a strategic differentiator
Across beverages and bars, the underlying consumer demand is similar: “Tell me what’s in this product and make me feel good about it.”
Clean label is no longer a niche positioning; it is becoming a category expectation.
Gum arabic passes this test in ways that many functional ingredients do not. It is derived from the natural exudate of Acacia trees, sourced from the African Sahel and carries a supply story that can support credible sustainability and traceability narratives.
It can also be described simply and honestly on packaging as "acacia fibre."
In a market in which ingredient choices increasingly influence the margin between a brand that wins and one that stagnates, this matters.
A call to formulators and innovation teams
The American market is moving quickly. Every quarter, new brands are launched, new formulations are validated, and new positioning wins shelf space.
The opportunity to lead with a differentiated, science-backed, natural fibre ingredient is open, but it will not remain open indefinitely.
At Alland & Robert, we invite R&D and innovation teams in the BFY beverage and nutrition bar space to explore the formulation possibilities that gum arabic offers.
We bring the ingredient and more than 130 years of technical expertise, rigorous quality standards, and a supply chain built for the transparency that today's market demands.
The ingredient has always been there. Now, the market is ready to see its full value.
