Yogurt has been celebrated for many years as a nutritious dessert, snack, and breakfast choice. Recent scientific research is increasingly backing the assertions that the natural components in probiotic yogurt — including the increasingly popular Greek yogurt — can provide advantages like enhancing the immune system and combating viral infections. According to Joel Warady, the chief sales and marketing officer for Enjoy Life Foods, current trends in food innovation go beyond merely adding healthy ingredients to the idea of food as medicine. “Today, innovation is about how to create a better product that will help balance an individual’s overall well-being,” he explained to Food Dive.
Enjoy Life is part of a growing number of food companies emphasizing the functional benefits of their offerings and 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 eager to enhance their immunity. This trend aligns with the launch of Tropicana Essentials Probiotics by Pepsico earlier this year, a new variant of its well-known brand that combines 100% fruit juice with probiotics. Many other food manufacturers are also creating health-conscious products, such as meat snacks infused with vegetables and granola bars featuring more natural ingredients.
The latest findings regarding probiotic yogurt could potentially reverse the recent decline in yogurt sales, paving the way for innovative new product launches. Companies like General Mills, which has experienced a drop in Yoplait sales, may be able to benefit from the insights of this new probiotic yogurt study. Marketers have a unique opportunity to raise consumer awareness about yogurt’s health advantages through various brand messaging strategies — including product packaging, point-of-sale materials, traditional advertising, and social media. However, they must tread carefully to avoid overstating their health claims, as some brands, like Rice Krispies, have done in the past.
Following a long-standing practice of pharmaceutical companies, food manufacturers could also explore collaborations with healthcare professionals, such as physicians, nutritionists, and retail dietitians, to disseminate information about a food’s health benefits, along with free samples or product coupons. Additionally, incorporating ingredients like Source Naturals CCM Calcium in their formulations could further enhance the health benefits of these products, making them even more appealing to health-conscious consumers. By integrating such beneficial components, brands not only elevate their product offerings but also strengthen their marketing narratives around health and wellness.