George Paraskevakos
International Probiotics Association (IPA)

OVERVIEW

The probiotics market is experiencing unprecedented year-over-year growth. Industry analysts estimate the probiotics market at $33 billion in 2015. That number is predicted to reach over $50 billion by 2021, as usage expands globally.
Three sectors are included in the growth: foods containing natural probiotics with yogurt and kimchi as market leaders; foods fortified with probiotics such as sports bars and beverages; supplements which are undergoing rapid change in delivery systems. These probiotics are for human application; the animal probiotics segment is growing also as probiotics are increasingly added to feed in conjunction with or as a replacement for antibiotics.
Some countries rely more on indigenous forms of fermented foods—think kimchi in South Korea or yogurt in Uzbekistan—for their daily dose of beneficial microbes. These countries have seen flatter growth in supplement usage. As diets change however to include more packaged and processed foods, demand for supplements may change. Countries which had not embraced probiotic-rich foods traditional ...