Transparency, ingredients, and clear labeling are important to consumers of nutritional supplements and probiotics. These are also substantial to reputable manufacturers in these markets looking to educate consumers on product benefits and to distance their brands from products on the market with less science supporting their claims and benefits.
In January 2017, the Council for Responsible Nutrition and the International Probiotics Association collaboratively published “Best Practice Guidelines for Probiotics” as a proactive set of voluntary, scientifically-based guidelines to encourage responsible production and marketing of dietary supplements and functional foods that contain probiotics. These guidelines pertain to the labeling, stability testing, and storage recommendations for probiotics and are intended to facilitate transparency and consistency for the industry. The guidelines reflect the most up-to-date science and industry thinking and will be updated as best practices evolve.
The probiotics market continues to grow by double digits in 2016 and now accounts for nearly 10% of the total nutritional products market. Although probiotics account for just 10% of sales, this segment accounts for an astounding 33% of growth in the nutritional products market. Such rapid growth is tightly controlled by a handful of companies, including DSM (Culturelle), Procter & Gamble (Align), Reckitt Benckiser (Digestive Advantage), Bayer (Phillips Colon Health), and Renew Life Formulas/Clorox (Ultimate Flora), but small, niche players compete in this market as well. Foods and beverages that contain probiotic ingredients and claims also compete for consumer spending in the digestive health market.
Alternate retail channel analysis, regulatory impacts, and market trends driving growth are all detailed in Kline’s upcoming Digestive Health, Immunity, and Probiotics: U.S. Market Analysis and Opportunities study. This report will provide an understanding of the size of the U.S. prebiotic and probiotic markets including sales data for 2015-2016 and forecast sales and growth through 2021 for prebiotics, probiotic supplements and drinks, and digestive enzymes. Contact us for more information.
