If you’ve recently wandered through your local grocery store’s aisles and felt confused, you’re probably not alone.
Today’s modern grocery stores and markets are stocked with all sorts of new products that diverge from the everyday essentials many of us are used to.
Related: Walmart CEO delivers alarming news for Amazon
Take, for example, the growth of the alternative-meat space.
A decade ago, if you asked the average U.S. consumer if they were willing to try alternative or meat substitutes, they would probably think you were talking about swapping beef for chicken on a burger.
💵💰Don’t miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet’s free daily newsletter 💰💵
And their answer on whether they’d give it a try would probably have been a firm “no.”
Now, however, the plant-based-meat industry is valued just shy of $4 billion according to recent estimates. And many grocery stores and fast food chains stock vegan burgers right alongside regular meat.
Coca Cola and Sprite soda bottles and 12-packs are seen on a grocery store shelf.
Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images
Functional beverages are a growing category
Another growing category at the grocery store is the functional-beverage space.
Functional beverages, which claim to offer benefits like digestive health, immunity boosts and even mood enhancement, have grown handily in recent years.
As more folks try to break their soda addiction and opt for healthier beverages, many have turned to alternative drinks that still feel like sweet bubbly treats.
More Restaurants and Food:
Another bankrupt restaurant chain closes last of its locationsCostco members split over popular new ‘knock-off’ drinkStarbucks makes major change that will delight customers
Some of the most popular drinks in the space include Poppi, which debuted a Super Bowl commercial in 2025, and Olipop, which sells familiar flavors like Vintage Cola, Classic Grape and Classic Root Beer.
And the functional beverage space is big business. As of 2023, the space was valued at around $234 billion. By 2034, it’s expected to nearly double that valuation to $437 billion.
Coca-Cola launches new drinks
As the largest US player in the drinks category, Coca Cola (KO) can’t sit idly by and watch small upstarts nip away at its market share.
So the beverage giant is launching its own functional drink as an offshoot from its already popular drink brand Simply.
The new drinks, called Simply Pop, will include six grams of fiber plus Vitamin C and zinc. Simply Pop will come in several flavors, including:
StrawberryPineapple MangoFruit PunchLime Citrus Punch
Coca Cola is positioning Simply Pop as prebiotic and helpful for gut health, and the drinks will be made with real fruit juice.
The drinks will hit shelves later in February at national grocery stores across the U.S., including Amazon Fresh.
Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast
