Dairy for digestive health
“[Brazilian consumers] are increasingly looking to make smarter food and beverages choices that can contribute to their overall well-being, increasingly focusing on wellness claims," insight analyst at Zenith Global, Louisa Sabin, told FoodNavigator-LATAM.
A survey conducted by New Nutrition Business this year found that just under 50% of Brazilians surveyed thought dairy products were good for digestive health.
So what kind of health and wellness claims work well for dairy?
In Brazil, it could mean lactose-free products or products that contain added probiotics for digestive health, Sapin said.
Both lactose-free and probiotic cheeses are gaining in popularity within all cheese sub-categories: sliced, cubed, dips, spreads and soft cheese, said Zenith Global.
Manufacturers can choose from three probiotic strains that have been approved for certain health claims by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency, ANVISA: Bacillus coagulants GBI-30, Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 and Lactobacillus reuteris DSM 17938.
Main image: GettyImages/chombosan