Probiotic Foods & Beverages of High Interest to Millennials

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Probiotics have emerged as one of the biggest trends today in the food and beverage industry as roughly a quarter of consumers specially seek out products with high amounts of probiotics or prebiotics, according to a new survey from market researcher Packaged Facts.

These products range from the familiar — like yogurt, kefir, kombucha and infant nutrition — to cutting edge, including probiotics in soda, coffee, tea, soups and beer. Regardless of their mainstream status or lack thereof, probiotics and prebiotics are inherently associated with the hottest wellness trends, Probiotics and Prebiotics: Food and Beverage New Product Trends found.

Millennials ages 18 to 34 are proponents of probiotic and prebiotics and have relatively higher interest in probiotic food and beverages compared to Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. This revelation keeps with the elevated interest in functional foods generally associated with millennials, according to Packaged Facts, who forecasts continued positive momentum for probiotic and prebiotic products due to the influence of the millennial segment.

Beyond millennials, the market researcher found that there’s even higher interest in probiotics among those who shop for food in the natural channel, which retains its role as the most significant retail sector for food and nutritional trends.

“Probiotics have emerged as a driving trend in the industry,” says David Sprinkle, research director, Packaged Facts. “And given the core importance of gut health, this suggests continued potential for growth of probiotic- and prebiotic-containing foods, as consumers continue to learn more about them and next-generation products make their case in the market.”

Probiotics and Prebiotics: Food and Beverage New Product Trends is available for download here.