Dive Brief:
- The global probiotics market reached $34 billion in sales in 2015, according to a report from BCC Research.
- The food and beverage industry accounted for 73% or $24.8 billion of that market, with supplements accounting for $3.2 billion.
- Growing health concerns have sparked this increase, with the segment expected to rise 8% over the next five years.
Dive Insight:
According to the annual Food & Health survey published by the International Food Information Council (IFIC), one-third of Americans are trying to consume probiotics.
Dairy still serves as one of the natural delivery systems for probiotic strains. Dairy products also contain nutrients that are growing in popularity. Probiotics within yogurt for example, can help stimulate healthy digestive function. The yogurt itself, depending on type, contains varying amounts of both calcium and protein.
The survey says that 64% of consumers are also interested in trying to increase protein in their diets, making yogurt a win-win for manufacturers hoping to capture this group.
Probiotics are expanding into foods that traditionally did not contain them in the past. New product introductions are aided by technologies that enable probiotic survival in an increasingly broad array of food environments. More novel products and markets, including sports nutrition and even pet food, are likely to include probiotics to entice purchases in the future.