In 2008, the Natural Marketing Institute’s (NMI) Health and Wellness Trends Survey (2008 HWTD) reported U.S. consumer (general population) awareness of the term “probiotics” skyrocketed to 48 percent, up from 31 percent in 2007, and up from 20 percent in 2006. What’s more the research firm Mintel reported 142 new foods and beverages were launched in the digestive-health category in 2008. So what’s driving this ever-growing market of probiotics?
“What’s driving the market is massive spending on advertising and marketing hype,” commented Natasha Trenev, owner and founder of Natren. “But what’s dangerous is when people try these products and they don’t work, they’ll be turned off in general to the whole concept of probiotics, which is a very important one!”
Justin Marsh, director of marketing and CEO of Arthur Andrew Medical, added, “The public is obsessed with detoxing and colon cleansing. High-fiber diets, colon hydrotherapy, antibiotics, preservatives and diet are factors leading to improper balance of intestinal flora. Health conscious individuals are becoming aware that probiotics are important to replenish after detoxing. As the detoxing trend becomes larger so will the demand for probiotics.”
Probiotics have received a lot of press attention lately. Whether that is due to the launch of Activia, media hype or celebrity-driven detoxes is debatable; but, the market drive also stems from probiotics’ efficacy. “The fact that probiotics work to make people feel better is driving the market,” said Michael Lee, product development manager for Sedona Labs. “People try them, their digestion improves, they feel better, they continue to take them and tell their friends about them. The immune benefit is probably more subtle and hard to measure. However, in general, people feel better taking them so they keep taking them.”
E. Frank Hodal, Jr., founder and CEO of Little Calumet Holdings LLC, manufacturer of Vidazorb™, said new offerings will keep the market on an upward incline. “Innovation in terms of products and ingredients will remain primary drivers,” he said.
Sunil Kohli, chief operating officer for Health Plus, agreed: “We constantly foray into a variety of natural products stores and pharmacies to see what’s selling and how products are positioned and promoted. From those observations, I believe that innovation drives this market, notably in the functional beverage category. This is in tandem with the popular press touting probiotics for good health. For example, in many pharmacies, you can thumb through all the popular magazines and you will see health articles about probiotics. This is a category that will continue to flourish.”
And fortunately, the probiotics market has not been stifled by the economy, and new, innovative ways to deliver probiotics are still finding their way into the marketplace.
GoodBelly serves up 20 live and active cultures, including Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (Lp299v) and Bifidobacterium lactis in fruit juices and is dually designed to improve overall digestive regularity and promote immunity “Many issues with well-being begin with digestive and immune system issues—good digestive health and immunity (which probiotics help to foster) are essential to optimal wellness,” said Todd Beckman, president and chief operating officer of NextFoods. “Your body is an eco-system, and digestion and immunity (both found in the gut) are highly connected to how things are working, or in some cases, not working, in ‘your gut.’ These important systems need both good nutrition as well as friendly bacteria to help keep everything in balance.”