Conducted by Rud Pedersen, an independent public affairs and strategic communications firm, the report presents probiotics as having the potential to save billions of euros in healthcare and wider costs each year.
Presenting the report’s key findings to delegates at IPC (19th International Scientific Conference on Probiotics, Prebiotics, Gut Microbiota, and Health) in Krakow, Poland, last week (Jun. 22-24, 2026), Rosanna Pecere, executive director, IPA Europe, explained the report was commissioned to demonstrate the long-term savings and broader benefits of probiotics in Europe.
The assessment aimed to measure probiotics’ propensity to reduce disease and health symptoms (direct costs), boost productivity (indirect costs) and improve quality of life (intangible costs), if they were implemented more widely under a reformed regulatory approach.
Pecere argued this economic evaluation has so far been missing in the probiotic regulatory debate.
“In Europe there’s a regulatory gap so we thought this was an important contribution to the debate,” she said.
Using established methodologies from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and EU Better Regulation framework, the study estimates potential cost savings and public health benefits of greater probiotic use across specific health conditions that are prevalent in the EU, including women’s health, antibiotic associated diarrhoea, respiratory infections, oral health, elderly bowel function, mental wellbeing, and lactose intolerance.
€10 billion as a minimum
A headline figure from the report is that just a 1% increase in probiotic use could mean €10 billion in economic impact across Europe annually, but Pecere highlighted this is just a minimum estimated saving.
She noted that in patients with lactose digestive complaints alone there was huge saving potential. Probiotics with lactase activity can alleviate symptoms by up to 50%, according to the report, potentially saving €7-9.5 billion annually through improved dietary tolerance and reduced medical use.
The inconsistent national approaches to probiotics and the lack of a harmonized approach at the EU level may be contributing to consumer uncertainty about probiotic products and their benefits, according to the report.
“Without clear, harmonized rules and different definitions and classifications of probiotics among Member States, it is challenging for consumers to identify and compare foods and food supplements containing probiotics and make informed choices,” it states. “In addition, the lack of clarity in labelling and regulatory inconsistency hinders access to clear, reliable and substantiated information.”
Call for SEA ambassadors
To leverage these findings, the IPA has developed a platform to act as “the reference touchpoint for healthcare professionals, policy makers and industry representatives” to promote awareness of probiotics as a cost effective strategy to improve public health.
Online since last month (June 2026), the Probiotic Value Insights platform provides a library of infographics and other materials to be displayed and shared across workplaces and communications.
An infographic focused on the impact of probiotics in elderly care, for example, highlights that the cost of constipation management in care homes is estimated at €2,107 per affected resident annually. These residents are also 2.7 times more likely to develop heart failure.
The graphic states that, through probiotic use, a care home with 100 residents could save between €8,000 and €25,000 per year.
“We would like to have your support to promote the initiative,” Pecere told IPC delegates. “We invite you to become SEA ambassadors, to share the materials internally within your organization, and link the website in your communications.”
Diverging national approaches
The absence of a harmonized EU definition and regulatory framework for probiotics has led individual Member States to adopt their own national guidelines.
France allows, since 2024, probiotic-related claims in foods if they are accompanied by a specific authorized claim related to the probiotic health action. For probiotics in food supplements, the term “probiotic” is permitted to be used to characterize the presence of the substance used in the product.
Italy permits probiotic claims, without making distinctions between food and supplements, provided they are safe, traditionally used and active in the intestine at a sufficient concentration.
Other countries such as Czechia, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Poland recognize the word “probiotic” on food supplements, either as an ingredient or as a descriptive category, as a mandatory labelling.
This regulatory fragmentation means companies are required to comply with several national interpretations, and disparities in consumer information.
