Millennials and Probiotics: Trends of Probiotic Use Among Millennials
The healthy millennial
The younger generation has shown us they are much more interested in healthy eating and cooking than their older counterparts. CBD Marketing from Chicago undertook a massive research study in 2017. They analyzed 12.5 million social media posts of U.S. millennials aged 18-35 over a one-year period.
The findings of this study showed that millennials are very interested in healthy and natural food. Fast food and convenience foods are of little interest to them, as they prefer to cook and prepare their meals. They would much rather shop at Trader Joe’s than Walmart.
Millennials and probiotics
It is no surprise then to find that millennials are far greater purchasers of probiotics than the older generations. Baby boomers and Generation X may well need probiotics to help them with digestive difficulties that occur as they age. On the other hand, millennials are interested in an overall healthier lifestyle. Their digestive systems might function without problems, but they show a great interest in functional foods and following food trends.
Millennials make up a large proportion of shoppers in the natural channel, which is the most important retail sector for crazes and nutritional trends.
The probiotic trend
Currently, around a quarter of adults in the United States are looking for foods that contain probiotics and are buying them on a regular basis. There is a huge potential for quality probiotics in the health food market, making it one of the quickest growing market trends for the last five years. This is due in part to those interested parties, such as the millennials, who use social media to document their lifestyles.
One of the reasons for such a high level of popularity is the range of food and beverages that can contain probiotics. There has been a rise in the popularity of traditional probiotic products, which include yogurt, kefir and kombucha, and in products that do not naturally contain probiotics, such as soups, teas and other beverages.
Millennials commonly communicate their attitudes, opinions and purchasing habits online through social media platforms. Sharing information in this way can quickly result in new trends forming. A hot, new superfood trend seems to happen every month. The unique thing about the trend of probiotics is that you can use them in unison with other superfood trends, making them even more attractive to those interested in a healthy lifestyle.
Packaged Facts found that “probiotics have emerged as a driving trend in the industry.” It is now a widely accepted fact that the health of our digestive systems is important. Consumers–especially young adults–are clearly interested in digestive health. This upward trend of interest in probiotics is likely to continue, especially as consumers become more educated as to their importance and as even more innovative products emerge.
Millennials reinforce these trends by using social media platforms. These users essentially advertise these products on their personal pages. This type of activity encourages other millennials to try them and involve themselves in lifestyles that are as healthy as they can make them from as many angles as possible.
What probiotics are millennials buying?
Millennials have driven forward the trend for both traditional probiotic products and for goods that have had probiotics added to them to increase their popularity. There is now a plethora of products on the market that appeal to millennials and contain added probiotics.
Some of the more unusual food products that are fortified with probiotics include cheddar cheese and cold brew coffee. Food giants even support this trend for probiotics. PepsiCo has acquired KeVita, which is a manufacturer of beverages infused with probiotics. They have also unveiled their new Tropicana Essentials Probiotics line.
Will the trend continue?
The growing popularity of probiotics among millennials does not show any signs of slowing down. These consumers wield considerable power in the food and health supplement industry, so businesses can continue to cater to them.
Millennials support probiotic products because they are linked through social media and other internet platforms with the most up-to-date wellness trends. This means that businesses stand a chance of being rewarded handsomely for creating more innovative products and foods to tempt these valuable consumers.
