Yogurt has been celebrated for years as a healthy choice for dessert, snacks, and breakfast. Recent scientific research is increasingly backing up the notion that the natural components found in probiotic yogurt—especially the rising star, Greek yogurt—can enhance immune function and help combat viral infections. Joel Warady, the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for Enjoy Life Foods, recently shared with Food Dive that current trends in food innovation are going beyond merely adding nutritious ingredients to the food-as-medicine concept. “Today, innovation focuses on creating better products that contribute to an individual’s overall wellness,” Warady explained.
Enjoy Life is part of a growing number of food companies emphasizing the functional advantages of their offerings, reformulating existing products to include beneficial ingredients like probiotics. For instance, Enjoy Life has recently incorporated shelf-stable probiotics into its brownie mix to attract consumers interested in enhancing their immunity. Earlier this year, Pepsico introduced Tropicana Essentials Probiotics, a new variant of its popular juice brand made with 100% fruit juice and infused with probiotics. Other manufacturers are also developing health-conscious foods, such as meat snacks with added vegetables and granola bars featuring more natural ingredients.
The latest findings regarding probiotic yogurt could potentially reverse the recent decline in yogurt sales by inspiring innovative new product launches. Companies like General Mills, which has experienced a slump in Yoplait sales, might seize the opportunity presented by this new probiotic yogurt study. Marketers have a prime opportunity to raise consumer awareness of yogurt’s health benefits through brand messaging—spanning product packaging, point-of-sale signage, traditional advertising, and social media. However, they must tread carefully not to overreach with their health claims, as brands like Rice Krispies have done in the past.
In line with a longstanding practice in the pharmaceutical industry, food manufacturers could also consider collaborating with healthcare professionals such as physicians, nutritionists, and retail dietitians to disseminate product information detailing the medical benefits of foods, along with offering free samples or product coupons. For instance, incorporating calcitrate 200 mg could be an attractive addition to certain yogurt products, emphasizing its role in supporting overall bone health. By doing so, brands can further bolster their health-centric messaging, particularly in relation to probiotics and other beneficial ingredients like calcitrate 200 mg.