IDM ¦ Column
Probiotics: a promising
market looking for a better
framework in Europe
44 · September/October 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com
otic dairy products represent almost 80% of the probiotic market.
Consumers enjoy these products in their everyday diet, as part of
a balanced and healthy nutrition,” points out Alexander Anton,
Secretary General of the European Dairy Association (EDA).
The European probiotic supplements market was valued
€1.464 million in 2021, close to 25% of the global value. For probiotic
yoghurts, plain, flavoured and drinking yoghurts, Europe
ranks second in the global scale, after Asia Pacific.
What’s in a name?
The word ‘probiotic’ itself does not convey anything else than a
simple “good for you”, just like fibre, vitamins and minerals, and
it is certainly not a health claim. More than 15 years ago, the European
Commission issued a guidance on the implementation of
Regulation 1924/2006, which introduced a reference to probiotics
by stating that “contains probiotics/prebiotics” should be considered
a health claim ‘per se’. Nonetheless, the interpretation of the
European Commission is today obsolete and did not differentiate
between the word encompassing the category and the health
More and more research has been focused in recent
years on the intestinal microbiome and the complex
relationship between gut microbiota and other
functions of the human body. It is being widely acknowledged
that some microorganisms, commonly referred to as
probiotics and prebiotics, can play an important role in sustaining
a balanced gut microbiota health.
But what are probiotics? Probiotics are live microorganisms
that can be formulated into many different types of products, including
foods (probiotic yogurt, fermented milk, dairy based products),
drugs, and dietary supplements. Probiotics microorganisms
are commonly defined as ‘live cultures’. So far, the only authorised
health claim in the EU is “live cultures of yoghurt improve lactose
digestion”. This health claim is used in several European countries
to indicate the presence of ‘probiotics’ on product labels and communication
of yoghurts, drinking yoghurts and sour milks.
In Europe, the probiotic market has been growing steadily
from €8.618,9 million in 2018 to €9.401,6 million in 2021. ”Probi-
EU probiotic market
9 billion EUR
PROBIOTIC
SUPPLEMENTS
1.4 billion EUR
PROBIOTIC
YOGHURTS
5 billion EUR
SOUR MILKS
47% of global sales
of Sour Milk products
*Data for 2021
/international-dairy.com
