New research has shown that probiotic yoghurt sales closed in on US$ 20 billion in 2018 and sales are likely to increase over the coming years.

The report envisages over 6% year-on-year growth in the probiotic yoghurt market revenues in 2019. 

This increase could be due to probiotic yoghurt being perceived as a healthy snack. Due to the presence of a balanced source of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins, probiotic yoghurt is enjoying billowing sales prominently because of the gut-friendly flora that plays a crucial role in healthy digestion.

The rich nutritional profile of probiotic yoghurt prominently supports weight loss, blood sugar and cholesterol regulation, and bone density improvement.

A further contributing factor to the increase is the availability in a multitude of flavours. Innovations such as mix fruit yoghurt, and high-fibre or high-protein yoghurt are likely to further translate into an increase in the popularity of probiotic yoghurt among the health-conscious population.

The report (Probiotic Yogurt Market by Future Market Insights) also suggests that the demand for plant-based probiotic yoghurt will rise in forthcoming years, on the back of robust popularity of animal-based probiotic yoghurt.

According to Genetics Home Reference, after infancy, around 65% of the global human population has a decreased ability to digest lactose, which is a more commonplace condition across East Asia and Western Africa. Key players in the probiotic yoghurt market are thus focusing on developing plant-based probiotic yoghurt products to capture the expanding lactose-intolerant as well as vegan population.

Some of the key companies in this sector are focusing their strategies to align with the current market trends. The worldwide vegan population has showcased 4X expansion over 2012-2017, which reflects a strong rate of growth in the trend of veganism. Augmenting investments in research and development of innovative vegan probiotic yoghurt will therefore be an important strategy adopted by manufacturers, according to study.

With the increase in health awareness among consumers, there has been a significant change in the lifestyle and consumption patterns. Consumers are demanding product insights and specifications to keep track of their calorie intake and there is also a preference for low-sugar and low-/no fat products. Due to these factors, key market players are trying to develop low fat and zero fat probiotic yoghurts in a variety of different flavours to enlarge their customer base.

The report also indicates that besides Europe and North America, the probiotic yoghurt market in China has also been demonstrating an impressive growth scenario over the recent past. Also, the evolving dietary patterns and rising consumer proclivity for nutritionally rich food products is highly likely to account for the strong demand growth outlook estimated for the Asia Pacific region.

By New Food Magazine