The Analyst’s Take: Top 3 takeaways from NBJ’s Microbiome Special Report

The rise of synbiotics: Synbiotic supplements (those that combine pre- pro- and/or postbiotics in one formula) seem to be the future of potential in the microbiome supplement market. While growth of single probiotics slowed to just 0.4% in 2021 and is expected to move into a decline next year, growth of synbiotics is more than healthy, clocking in at 18.6% last year.

Food and beverage impact: The functional food and beverage market for products with pre- and probiotics added is sizeable, bringing in over $12 billion in sales last year and hovering around a healthy growth rate of 6.4%. Dairy has been and remains the market leader by size, but beverages have been a hot growth category, peaking at 28.8% in 2017 but still remaining strong at 17.6% in 2021.

Opportunities for education: Of surveyed consumers, only 9% consider themselves “very familiar” with the term microbiome, and a much larger 38% put themselves at the bottom of the range at “not at all familiar.” But the opportunity is there: nearly half of consumers said they are currently and actively trying to optimize their gut/digestive health.