This year, the theme from Mission Impossible, Dead Reckoning struck a chord. Its depiction of navigating an unpredictable, fast-evolving force felt familiar. Our biotics industry is experiencing something similar: rapid innovation, growing misinformation and regulatory frameworks working hard to keep pace with all of this.
While Ethan Hunt searches for the key to prevent chaos, IPA continues its work to safeguard something equally important, trust in the solid science of our industry, clarity in global standards, and the integrity of probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics. And like any good mission, the work has been urgent at times, complex at others, but always meaningful.
IPA isn’t chasing villains, but it is navigating fragmented regulations, fast-moving science, new product categories and rising global expectations. In 2025, the association met these challenges with strategy, collaboration and strengthening alliances, which will set the stage for a stronger biotics future.
And as with any good mission, it started with a catalyst.
Copenhagen sets the stage
From Feb. 5 to 7, IPA alongside Nutraingredients co-organized the IPA World Congress + Probiota 2025 in Copenhagen, an event that felt more like a global summit than a conference. The energy among attendees, researchers, industry leaders and innovators was unmistakable. The discussions covered everything from next-generation strains and postbiotics to gut–brain axis insights and microbiome analytics.
The Probiota Pioneers platform reminded us that the next wave of microbiome innovation is already coming to life in labs, incubators and start-up hubs around the world.
This gathering was not just our starting point; it became the compass for IPA’s priorities through the rest of the year.
A global mission across many continents
Like any mission requiring global coordination, IPA’s work in 2025 took us across multiple regions where the future of biotics is being shaped.
- Vitafoods Europe (Barcelona) allowed our Pre-/Pro-/Post-Biotics Resource Center to provide high-value education to European stakeholders navigating an evolving regulatory environment.
- Probiota Americas (Vancouver) reinforced our dialogue with North American stakeholders, regulators, academia and industry leaders, a critical balance to European perspectives.
- Vitafoods Asia (Thailand) highlighted the explosive growth of functional foods and fermented health products, reinforcing the need for alignment on definitions, safety and product quality. Dare I mention ASEAN harmonization priorities!
- SupplySide Global (Las Vegas) brought together global suppliers, brand owners and regulatory experts, linking another key opportunity for IPA to build bridges across a diverse, international marketplace.
Across all these events, the message was consistent, the world wants efficacious and trustworthy biotics of quality, supported by science and standards!
Adapting to a changing landscape
Today, the nutrition and wellness world looks different. Consumer interest in gut health continues to rise. Microbiome science is accelerating. New technologies are reshaping diagnostics and delivery systems. And alongside probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics have entered the spotlight, expanding both opportunity and complexity.
But complexity creates vulnerabilities. As our main hero must secure the key to prevent a destabilizing force from reshaping the world, IPA must counter the forces that threaten our field:
- Regulatory fragmentation
- Misinformation and pseudoscience
- Inflated or misleading claims
- Uneven global standards
These challenges demanded a strategic shift. Over two years after embarking on this evolution, IPA has transformed, not reactively, but deliberately. Our work in 2025 reflects a larger mission to reinforce our leadership, expand our capabilities and future-proof the biotics sector.
Our newly formed committees for prebiotics, postbiotics, infant supplements and companion animals have already begun shaping high-value guidance and best practices. As in every Mission Impossible storyline, the mission has grown in scale, and so has our response.
A new strategic direction
1. Expanding geographical representation
This year, IPA took a bold international step with the Board’s approval of the IPA China Office. This was not simply an expansion, it was a strategic deployment into one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing biotics markets. China’s regulatory environment, innovation capacity and consumer demand make it a pivotal global hub. Establishing a direct presence ensures we can advocate for science, quality and transparency where it matters most.
Like extending the mission’s field operations into a critical region, our China Office strengthens IPA’s global positioning and builds deeper local partnerships.
Alongside this, we continue strengthening our worldwide network through formal MOU partnerships with key associations, ensuring true global collaboration and alignment.
2. Supporting new biotics categories
- IPA is leading definition alignment for prebiotics and postbiotics, with manuscripts and scoping exercises underway.
- In the infant supplement segment, two task forces are drafting best practices and technical standards to support safe, effective products for the youngest consumers.
- In companion animal biotics, task forces are addressing regulatory frameworks, emerging technologies and market integrity.
3. Educating healthcare professionals
- 2025 will deepen our commitment to educating Health Care Professionals (HCPs), those who educate consumers.
- A dedicated HCP website is planned to ensure evidence-based resources are readily available.
- Our expanded Probiotic University programming has and will continue to reach global audiences.
4. Continuing global regulatory alignment efforts
Just as Ethan works to restore balance in a destabilized world, IPA remains committed to harmonizing regulatory expectations globally. Workshops are planned in the United States, Brazil, Australia, Canada and Belgium, and Codex’s decision to revisit the FAO/WHO 25-year-old probiotic guidelines marks a remarkable moment, where IPA will evaluate where it can play a significant role.
5. Advancing innovation, technology & quality
- The IPA Manufacturing Guidelines, now referenced in GMP and GFSI-harmonized standards, continue to evolve to reflect modern supply chains.
- IPA remains central in establishing an ISO standard for probiotic enumeration.
- New task forces will examine emerging technologies such as flow cytometry, PCR methods and direct to consumer microbiome testing kits. To ensure accuracy, consistency and scientific rigor remain the backbone of these fields.
Expanding the biotics universe
One of the most pivotal developments in 2025 was IPA’s continued advancement of prebiotic and postbiotic frameworks, categories that have rapidly moved into the mainstream.
Prebiotics
In January, IPA’s prebiotic manuscript “The prebiotic landscape: history, health and physiological benefits, and regulatory challenges, an IPA perspective part 1”, was published in Beneficial Microbes, and in May, IPA formally adopted the ISAPP definition of a prebiotic. Aligning us with globally recognized terminology and removing ambiguity in the prebiotics segment that has long complicated regulatory conversations in the space.
Postbiotics
IPA coordinated a major scientific manuscript, “Commercial and regulatory frameworks for postbiotics: an industry-oriented scientific perspective for non-viable microbial ingredients conferring beneficial physiological effects”, proposing:
- Clearer classification
- Decision trees for regulatory assessment
- Scientifically defensible criteria for the category
Still emerging in public consciousness and regulatory language, this work provides much-needed structure, transforming postbiotics from a loose concept into a well-defined scientific and commercial category.
This progress marks the first time the three major biotics pillars, probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics, have begun moving in coordinated alignment.
Building alliances and industry trust
No mission succeeds without allies. IPA’s activities in 2025 focused on strengthening these alliances through:
- the IPA Regulatory Workshop in Bethesda, which brought together a cross-section of regulatory and scientific leaders from the North American space.
- the first annual Jarrow Rogovin IPA Biotic Innovation Award, which celebrated excellence and elevated new scientific voices with cutting edge research.
- our educational platforms and resource centers across global trade shows.
IPA’s efforts support a united industry that can speak collectively and credibly to regulators, media and consumers.
The challenges that remain
Like any Mission Impossible narrative, the final scenes remind us that the most difficult challenges are still ahead.
In 2025, the world did not yet see:
- unified global regulatory harmonization for “pro” and other biotics.
- an EU-wide definition for “probiotic” on labels.
- consistent global claims standards.
- regulatory adoption a postbiotic definition or framework.
These are reflections of the complexity of a sector evolving faster than policy. But thanks to this year’s work, we are better positioned than ever before to push these milestones forward.
Looking ahead: Why 2025 was a turning point
As I look back on 2025, this has been a year of strategic clarity and foundational progress. IPA strengthened its role as the global voice of biotics, connecting continents, advancing science, shaping frameworks and preparing the world for the next era of microbiome-based innovation.
And while the mission continues, one thing is clear: The future of biotics is not only possible, but IPA is well underway, leading the charge.
IPA remains committed to our global mission “To advocate for the safe and efficacious use of Pre-, Pro- and Post– biotics worldwide,” benefiting all stakeholders involved.
Wishing all IPA members, our community, friends and their families a Merry Christmas, a wonderful holiday season and a healthy 2026!
