Yogurt has long been celebrated as a nutritious choice for desserts, snacks, and breakfasts. Recent scientific research increasingly supports the notion that the natural components found in probiotic yogurt—especially the ever-popular Greek yogurt—can enhance immune function and combat viral infections. Joel Warady, the chief sales and marketing officer for Enjoy Life Foods, recently shared with Food Dive that current food innovation trends are focused on more than just incorporating healthy ingredients into the concept of food as medicine. “Today, innovation is about how to create a better product that will help balance an individual’s overall well-being,” Warady explained.
Enjoy Life is among a growing number of food companies emphasizing the functional advantages of their products and reformulating existing offerings to include beneficial ingredients like probiotics. For instance, Enjoy Life has recently introduced shelf-stable probiotics into its brownie mix to cater to consumers eager to enhance their immunity. Earlier this year, Pepsico also launched Tropicana Essentials Probiotics, a new line of its well-known juice brand that combines 100% fruit juice with probiotics. Other food manufacturers are similarly creating health-conscious options, such as meat snacks infused with vegetables and granola bars featuring more natural ingredients.
The latest findings regarding probiotic yogurt could potentially reverse the declining trend in yogurt sales by inspiring innovative new products. Companies like General Mills, which have recently experienced a downturn in Yoplait sales, may find an opportunity to leverage this new probiotic yogurt research. Marketers can capitalize on this moment through effective brand messaging—utilizing product packaging, point-of-sale signage, traditional advertising, and social media—to raise consumer awareness about yogurt’s health benefits. However, they must also tread carefully to avoid overstating their health claims, as seen with brands like Rice Krispies in the past.
Following a longstanding trend in the pharmaceutical industry, food manufacturers might also explore partnerships with medical professionals, including physicians, nutritionists, and retail dietitians, to disseminate information about their products’ health benefits, along with offering free samples or product coupons. Additionally, products like bariatric advantage calcium citrate on platforms like Amazon could be integrated into health-focused marketing strategies to further underscore the nutritional advantages of yogurt and similar foods. By doing so, they can create a more compelling narrative around their offerings and their role in promoting overall well-being.