Gut Health - A hot topic
Why gut related NPDs are increasing in launches
Gut health in 2025 and beyond
In 2025, prebiotics continue to gain prominence across food, drink, and supplement categories, driven by consumer interest in gut health and broader wellness benefits. From probiotic-rich kefirs to the booming prebiotic BFY soda category, gut health remains a global hot topic. Prebiotic, Probiotic, and Postbiotic are considered health claims in the EU and can therefore not be used on labels and communication within the EU. In other markets, Prebiotic claims are becoming standard, especially in functional beverages. In China, over half of the new functional juice drinks launched in 2024 carried prebiotic claims, marking a sharp rise from 26.3% in 2022 to 52% in 2025. The US market is also seeing increasing traction: in 2023, probiotics represented 9% of total US vitamin sales, and 26% of US consumers expressed interest in more nutrients from isolated ingredients like psyllium fibre in food and drink. To meet growing demand, brands are incorporating prebiotics into a broader range of products, including carbonated soft drinks, ready-to-drink dairy products, and ice cream.
Gut friendly soda
Looking at the market for gut-focused sodas reveals several interesting insights. From the pioneering Olipop to PepsiCo’s acquisition of Poppi to Coca-Cola’s Simply Pop version of a prebiotic soda, the market is booming with NPDs to join in on the promising CAGR market potential. While Olipop and Poppi mainly feature prebiotic fibres like Chicory Root, Jerusalem Artichoke, and Agave, Inulin and Cassava fiber competitors like Culture Pop focus on live probiotic strains like Bacillus Subtilis. But what is up and down in a market at which the gut claim transcends soda to include gut-focused formulations like Kefir from both Tesco and Arla. As per the NIQ, Digestive Health was the tenth most revenue-driving claim in 2023 in the US, accounting for 207,2 Mio USD.
%
Over half of the new functional juice drinks launched in 2025 have carried prebiotic claims in China.
%
The global functional food and beverage market is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of about 9.5 percent between 2021 and 2028.
%
Of Probiotic sales in the US in 2023 represented 9% of U.S. vitamin sales.
%
Of US consumers are interested in seeing more additional nutrients from isolated ingredients like psyllium prebiotic fibre.
NIQ I Unveiling beverage trends 2024
NIQ I Dive into ingredients to find growth 2024
European Commission I Health Claims Register
Nutritional Outlook I Probiotic sales US
Mintel I Trending in China functional drinks 2025
Mintel I The future of health and wellness 2025
Ingredients often found in fiber-rich, digestion-conscious drinks
Post-pandemic, prebiotic and probiotic ingredients are on trend. But what exactly distinguishes these ingredients, and which ones are most commonly featured in drinks marketed as gut-friendly? In the last 5 years, the use of prebiotics has grown significantly. As per Mintel GNPD, new product launches containing prebiotic ingredients grew by almost 190% from 2019-2023, while probiotic product launches only grew by 80%
Trending flavours in functional drinks
In the past five years, fruit flavours have grown increasingly popular in sports and energy drinks across Latin America, becoming the dominant flavour group. During the same period, citrus fruit flavours have declined, while berry and seed flavours have gained prominence in new product launches. Overall, fruit flavours have been the main driver of flavour innovation in both sports and energy drink categories over the past year, with a particularly strong presence in the sports drink segment.
Functional Drink flavours
