Gut products rise and diversify

The gut health category continues to grow, despite the leveling off of probiotic product sales. Brands are meeting the demand with new and innovative product formats, notably in foods and beverages.

Todd Runestad, Content Director, SupplySideSJ.com

June 10, 2020

1 Min Read
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The digestive health category has nearly tripled in size in the last decade to reach US$2.96 billion in 2018, with sales predicted to reach $3.9 billion by 2021, according to the Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ).

Yet even as the category’s fortunes are growing, there remains additional opportunities, particularly regarding product formats, which savvy product developers and marketers are capitalizing on to reach consumers.

One way of measuring what’s happening in any given category is the NEXT Data & Insights team at New Hope Network, producers of Natural Products Expo West. The NEXT team assays every single product at every booth of the show—roughly 3,500 different booths, and many more products. The NEXT team found that of all product formats, dietary supplements were responsible for about half of all digestive health claims. Beverages were the second-most popular product format with digestive health claims.

Both of these product formats—supplements and beverages—represent the two largest product categories, and yet their numbers have remained fairly static. The question, then, is whether there is any innovation happening in the digestive health category?

The answer is yes.

And it’s happening in the dairy category. At Expo West 2017, there were 29 total dairy products with digestive health claims. But by Expo West 2019 that number rose to 102 products.

To read this article in its entirety, check out the Digestive health: Market growth backed by science – digital magazine.

About the Author

Todd Runestad

Content Director, SupplySideSJ.com, SupplySide Supplement Journal

Todd Runestad has been writing on nutrition science news since 1997. He is content director for SupplySide Supplement Journal and its digital magazines. Other incarnations: content director for Natural Products Insider (now rebranded to SupplySide Supplement Journal), supplements editor for NewHope.com, Delicious Living!, and Natural Foods Merchandiser. Former editor-in-chief of Functional Ingredients magazine and still covers raw material innovations and ingredient science.

Connect with me here on LinkedIn.

Specialty

Todd writes about nutrition science news such as this story on mitochondrial nutrients, innovative ingredients such as this story about 12 trendy new ingredient launches from SupplySide West 2023, and is a judge for the NEXTY awards honoring innovation, integrity and inspiration in natural products including his specialty — dietary supplements. He extensively covered the rise and rise and rise and fall of cannabis hemp CBD. He helps produce in-person events at SupplySide West and SupplySide East trade shows and conferences, including the wildly popular Ingredient Idol game show, as well as Natural Products Expo West and Natural Products Expo East and the NBJ Summit. He was a board member for the Hemp Industries Association.

Education / Past Lives

In previous lives Todd was on the other side of nature from natural products — natural history — as managing editor at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. He's sojourned to Burning Man and Mount Everest. He graduated many moons ago from the State University of New York College at Oneonta.

Quotes

"There is not a colds-and-flu season. There is a vitamin D-deficiency season."

"There is no such thing as inclement weather. Only improper attire."

Link answers question, "When taking magnesium, should you also take vitamin D3 2,000 IU?"

"Cannabis is nature's most nearly perfect plant."

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