Yogurt has long been recognized as a nutritious choice for dessert, snacks, and breakfast. Recent scientific studies are increasingly validating the claims that the natural components found in probiotic yogurt—especially the increasingly favored Greek yogurt—can enhance immune function and combat viral infections. According to Joel Warady, chief sales and marketing officer for Enjoy Life Foods, current trends in food innovation are elevating the concept of food as medicine. “Today’s innovation focuses on creating superior products that promote overall well-being,” Warady stated in a recent interview with Food Dive. Enjoy Life is part of a growing number of food companies emphasizing the functional advantages of their products and reformulating existing items to include health-promoting ingredients like probiotics. For instance, Enjoy Life has recently incorporated shelf-stable probiotics into its brownie mix to cater to consumers eager to strengthen their immunity.
Earlier this year, Pepsico introduced Tropicana Essentials Probiotics, a new variant of its well-known brand that combines 100% fruit juice with probiotics. Other food manufacturers are also producing health-oriented items, 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 have recently experienced a drop in Yoplait sales, could leverage this new probiotic yogurt research. Marketers have a unique chance to raise consumer awareness about yogurt’s health benefits through brand messaging—including product packaging, point-of-sale signage, traditional advertising, and social media. However, they must tread carefully to avoid overstating health claims, which brands like Rice Krispies have done in the past.
In a strategy reminiscent of long-standing practices in the pharmaceutical industry, food manufacturers could also explore collaborations with healthcare professionals, such as physicians, nutritionists, and retail dietitians, to disseminate information about the medical benefits of their products, including bariatric calcium supplements. This could involve providing free samples or product coupons to encourage consumers to incorporate probiotic yogurt into their diets alongside these supplements, further enhancing their health journey.