Since the birth of advertising, the idealized qualities of youth and beauty have been used to sell millions of products. But the scatological characteristics associated with bacteria and the digestive system? Not so much.
That is, until now, when the state of our intestines is being dragged out of the bathroom and becoming a subject of interest for beverage makers. And customers are drinking it up.
With the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition of Maryland reporting that a litany of more than 300 digestive diseases are creating misery for more than 65 million Americans, the demand for food and beverages infused with the healthy bacteria known as “probiotics” has spurred an industry, that, in the U.S. alone, is expected to reach $700 million by 2010. According to the market analysis firm BCC Research, that’s a surge of about 50 percent from 2005, when probiotics used in food and beverages totaled $498 million in the U.S.
According to The Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition, costs connected to digestive disease continue to rise – now hitting $85 billion annually. And while probiotic beverages may not claim to cure any disease, customers are beginning to turn to them as a preventative measure, especially since digestive problems increase with age. By 2025, the average life expectancy in the U.S. will increase from 77-82.
To meet that demand, a cadre of brands like Dannon, Naked Juice, Yakult and Lifeway are saying “gut health” may be just a sip away, and they and others may have hit upon the golden ticket: a health functionality that has a measurable result for the consumer. While brands are clear in stating that their products make no medicinal claims, they do assert that when consumed regularly, probiotic beverages can have a beneficial effect on digestive and immune health. (While that sounds promising, in the beverage business science, health, taste and function merge, specialty beverage makers are finding that the sell is rooted in educating the customer, many of whom have no idea what a “probiotic” is, let alone its potential effects on their bodies.) Brand positioning, too, becomes a carefully-orchestrated dance in alluding to health benefits but not explicitly spelling out things that are better left between customers and their time alone in the bathroom.
There are additional challenges: from a technical standpoint, maintaining sufficient levels of good bacteria in the product over the course of its shelf life is difficult, as probiotics typically “live” from between four weeks to 45 days from the date of manufacture. The longer the product sits, the greater the number of its bacteria that can die, potentially altering the intended potency of the drink.
“Bacteria produce acid and create an environment in which they cannot survive for a long time,” said J. D. Sethi, co-founder of the probiotic brand Dahlicious. Scientific obstacles aside, some of the companies are either small or are completely unknown in the U.S. , and they find that they have to hook the customer before they can develop a following. And, these companies agree, the overall popularity of these products is mostly based on taste first, benefit second.
So what in the micro-world are probiotics? In short, they are microscopic cultures of living, “good” bacteria that can help the digestive system and fortify the immune system. While people may think that microorganisms cause disease, the truth is that most are harmless, and some are beneficial, such as different strains of probiotics. Studies have shown that consumption of probiotics can help alleviate problems associated with lactose intolerance, constipation and diarrhea. They are said to improve health by increasing the ratio of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract.
“Think of your digestive tract as a parking lot,” said Rachel Kenney, spokeswoman for Naked Juice, which released its probiotic Tropical Mango smoothie in late 2007. “When you put in more good bacteria there’s no room for the bad bacteria because there’s only so much room for the cars to be able to park there.”