Probiotic use on the rise as digestive health moves up the agenda

Demand for probiotics is growing as digestive health moves up the consumer agenda, according to a survey from Kerry.

The company surveyed more than 13,000 consumers in 16 countries and found 24% had used a product containing probiotics over the past six months, up from 21% in 2019. Forty-four percent said they would consider doing so, up from 40% in 2019.
Nearly half (47%) of global respondents were aware of probiotics or cultures, compared to 42% in 2019, when the survey was last conducted. Awareness was highest among consumers in Latin America (63%) and North America (61%).
The findings suggest demand for probiotics is linked to growing interest in digestive health, which consumers ranked as third on their list of reasons to purchase healthy lifestyle products, up from fourth two years ago. Thirty-eight percent of consumers said they used a digestive health product over the last six months, almost as high as the number who reported using an immune health product (39%).

Several factors are driving continued growth in demand for gut health solutions generall ...