Global survey reveals shoppers' probiotic perceptions
GanedenBC30, a probiotic ingredient from the global ingredient giant Kerry, has created a white paper based on the results of its insightful survey of health-conscious consumers across 14 countries.
In its report it points out that the global probiotics market is projected to grow to $69 billion at a CAGR of 7% through 2023 (MarketsandMarkets, Global Probiotic Market Forecast to 2023, Dec 2018) and functional foods and beverages are by far the biggest segment for probiotics, currently standing at $40 billion and representing more than 82% of the total market (MarketsandMarkets Probiotic Market, Sept. 2017).
In fact, data from GlobalData (Ingredient Insights: Digestive Health, August 2018) reveals that 85% would choose food and 57% would choose drink as a preferred format, compared with just 23% for pills or tablets, 11% for candy or gum, and 9% for powder.
And Mintel has revealed that the number of internet searches for 'Gut Health' has grown by 669%, with the number of searches for 'Microbiome' and 'Gut-Brain Axis' growing by 267% and 204% respectively (Attitudes towards Healthy Eating – UK, February 2019).
Ganeden's paper explains that consumers are increasingly prepared to take action when it comes to their health generally. While 47% of consumers react to health problems when they arise, a nearly similar figure (42%) are proactively seeking out products that can improve their health (GlobalData – TrendSights Overview: Health & Wellness, August 2018).
Global survey
In Ganeden's survey, the firm wanted to discover which health benefits consumers most associated with probiotics and the results revealed a particularly high levels of understanding of their importance to gut wellness.
In the UK, 72% of consumers who were aware of the term 'cultures' were able to correctly identify their benefits for digestive health.
When asked what product categories they would be interested in purchasing probiotic products, yogurt and yogurt based drinks were found to be most popular (48%), followed by fruit and vegetable juices (39%), cereal, granola and breakfast (35%) and snacks (33%).
Quiler argues this is good news for hardy, spore-forming probiotics such as GanedenBC30 because they can survive almost any manufacturing process meaning they can be incorporated into products in most food and beverage categories.
John Quilter, VP and General Manager for GanedenBC30, said: “As our research shows, consumers across the world have not only heard of probiotics, but also understand the benefits they provide. Along with the growing preference for functional foods and beverages, this high level of awareness has been a key driver for the phenomenal growth of the digestive health category.”
“Consumers now like to see probiotics in products beyond the refrigerator aisle. GanedenBC30 can survive most processing conditions, including extremes of pH, heat, cold and pressure.
"It’s also supported by more than 25 published papers demonstrating its benefits, which is a huge advantage in a market where consumers are often skeptical about the claims made for functional products.”
