IFIC Spotlight Survey: Consumer Insights On Gut Health & Probiotics
April 13, 2022
Research Type
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The International Food Information Council (IFIC) commissioned an online research survey with consumers based in the US to measure knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about gut health and probiotics. One thousand adults aged 18+ years completed the survey from March 4-9, 2022, 7-13, and responses were weighted to ensure proportional results
From kombucha to kimchi to kefir, the connection between certain foods and gut health is a hot topic in nutrition right now. And this trend is more than a gut feeling: Americans’ interest in learning more about prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics and the gut microbiome has grown significantly over the past decade. IFIC’S 2021 Food and Health Survey found that more people were trying to consume probiotics and prebiotics in 2021 compared with just one year earlier. But to what extent do Americans prioritize gut health? How familiar are we with food components like pre-, pro-, post- and synbiotics? What products are we choosing, and why? This survey took a deeper dive.
Key findings include:
- Nearly one in four survey respondents (24%) said digestive health is the most important aspect of their overall health.
- About one-third (32%) said they actively try to consume probiotics; of those consumers, 60% try to consume probiotics at least once a day and 24% try to consume them multiple times a day.
- There is a knowledge gap between where people commonly seek out prebiotics and probiotics and where these products are actually found.
- People are most likely to seek out more information on pre-, pro-, post- and/or synbiotics from their healthcare provider.