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Consumers Are Seeking Digestive-Health Products

Surveys show American consumers are actively looking for products that contain fiber. Over the past five years, the number of consumers increasing their use of fiber has risen steadily. A Health Focus Trend Report showed that in 2006, more than 42 percent of consumers reported they were actively increasing their fiber intake, while 9 percent reported increasing their use of carbohydrates that promote digestive health. And the International Food Information Council's Consumer Attitudes Survey showed that in 2007, consumers ranked fiber as a top 10 functional food, actually rating it higher than green tea.

More Products Than Ever

Food manufacturers have obviously responded to consumers' demand for fiber and digestive-health products, and there are now more products with fiber or digestive-health claims in the marketplace. In fact, according to the Global New Products Database, the number of new products in 2006 with a fiber descriptor on the label surpassed the number of new products with more traditional and established claims like "added calcium" or "reduced fat." Even more astounding, the number of new products with digestive-health claims introduced into the marketplace was second only to products with a vitamin fortification claim. In 2007, the term prebiotics was used on at least 54 food and beverage products, a remarkable increase from approximately 23 a year earlier.

The traditional categories for fiber were bakery or cereal products. While these products still are abundant, the discovery of new sources of soluble fibers in particular has enabled food and beverage manufacturers to add fiber to nontraditional products, such as beverages and dairy products. There are now prebiotic fibers in beverages, yogurt and bars. Dietary supplements containing prebiotic fibers also are very common.

Most consumers are now quite familiar with the term probiotics. Far fewer, however, have heard of the term prebiotics. While it may take much longer for prebiotics to gain the same level of recognition, there already are many products on the market with the proven benefits. There also are products that combine both probiotics and prebiotics. These are known as synbiotics. General Mills' Yoplait yogurt, for instance, contains a combination of probiotic bacteria and prebiotic fiber. The physiological benefits of fiber are still being discovered, particularly as it relates to digestive health, but we have made truly great strides in a relatively short period of time. Fiber-based colon cleansing and detoxification products are also now being introduced into the market.

The market for digestive-health products is projected to grow 14 percent from 2004 to 2009, as indicated by data from the market research firm Datamonitor. As the science improves, there will be even better products that have the best taste, convenience and efficacy to truly deliver these benefits.