Health Update: Super Bowl Gets Health Conscious In 2026 – What Experts Say

A decade ago, the Super Bowl featured 14 ads for alcohol, candy, snacks, and fast food. Last year, that tally grew to 20, led by the likes of Taco Bell, Doritos, Mountain Dew, and Totino’s.

Ahead of the 2026 Super Bowl, however, health seems to be the emerging trend among the food and beverage brands that have announced Big Game ad buys so far.

Instead of advertising sugary soda, PepsiCo will front prebiotic soda brand Poppi, which returns to the game this year to tout “healthy bacteria in your gut.” Greek yogurt is higher in protein, as Danone North America’s Oikos will remind fans. Raisin Bran will take the national stage with a spot about the health benefits of fiber intake. And Unilever’s electrolyte-rich Liquid I.V. will be on hand to sing the praises of adequate hydration. 

When it comes to F&B brands in the Big Game, “the audience definitely likes more indulgent products—and that’s still there,” observed Hank Cardello, executive in residence at Georgetown University’s Business for Impact Center. Surely, brands of the sugary and salty variety like Pringles, Nerds, and Lay’s will advertise this year.

Even so, “there are a lot of these products—disproportionately compared to previous years—that are either healthier or have a healthy aura to them,” Cardello added.

Several cultural forces are converging right now, opening the way for brands to talk about nutrition instead of nachos for a change, according to industry experts.

Living longer

Circana global EVP Sally Lyons Wyatt, who covers foodservice and consumer goods, suggested that half a decade on, the jolt of the pandemic has translated into a permanent concern over health. “Back in Covid, we all learned how fragile life can be,” Wyatt said.