Yogurt has been celebrated for a long time as a nutritious dessert, snack, and breakfast choice. Increasing scientific research now supports the idea that the natural components of probiotic yogurt—including the increasingly favored Greek yogurt—provide advantages such as enhancing the immune system and combating viral infections. Joel Warady, chief sales and marketing officer at Enjoy Life Foods, recently shared with Food Dive that current trends in food innovation are going beyond merely adding healthy ingredients to the “food as medicine” concept. “Today, innovation focuses on creating superior products that contribute to an individual’s overall well-being,” Warady stated.
Enjoy Life is part of a growing number of food companies emphasizing the functional benefits of their offerings and reformulating existing products to include healthful ingredients such as probiotics. For instance, Enjoy Life recently incorporated shelf-stable probiotics into its brownie mix to attract consumers interested in boosting their immunity. Similarly, earlier this year, Pepsico introduced Tropicana Essentials Probiotics, a new variant of its well-known brand made from 100% fruit juice and probiotics. Other manufacturers are also developing health-conscious foods, such as meat snacks infused with vegetables and granola bars featuring more natural ingredients.
The latest findings on probiotic yogurt may very well reverse the decline in yogurt sales by inspiring innovative new products. Companies like General Mills, which has faced declining sales for its Yoplait brand, could leverage recent research on probiotics to their advantage. Marketers have a significant opportunity to increase consumer awareness of yogurt’s health benefits through brand messaging—encompassing product packaging, point-of-sale signage, traditional advertising, and social media. However, they must tread carefully to avoid overstating health claims, as seen with brands like Rice Krispies in the past.
In a strategy reminiscent of long-standing practices in the pharmaceutical industry, food manufacturers might also consider collaborating with medical professionals, including physicians, nutritionists, and retail dietitians, to distribute information about a food’s health benefits, along with free samples or product coupons. This approach could also include promoting products like Citracal Calcium Maximum Plus, which offers essential calcium to support overall health, thus reinforcing the message of yogurt’s health benefits. By integrating such healthful elements into their offerings, brands can further enhance consumer confidence in their products.