- On May 20, at the 20th Probiotics and Health Symposium, the “Top Ten Landmark Achievements of China’s Probiotics Industry from 2005 to 2025” were officially released:
(1) Establishment of a “government-industry-academia-research” platform to rally efforts for scientific and industrial innovation.
(2) Classification of microbial strains as national strategic resources, with the growing significance of probiotics.
(3) Cultivation of specialized talent groups and talent chains to build a high-level talent hub in the probiotics field.
(4) Advancement of probiotic germplasm resource banks to provide a material foundation for sustained innovation.
(5) Breakthroughs in key core technologies, promoting the transition of probiotics science from “follower” to “parallel runner–leader”.
(6) Refinement of scientific consensus in the probiotics field to guide a new model for industry development.
(7) Shift from list-based management to standardization, establishing a comprehensive scientific management system for probiotics.
(8) Promotion of the dual-track system of registration and filing for probiotic health foods, stimulating industry innovation.
(9) [Note: Item (9) is repeated content from (8).]
(10) Creation of the “Probiotics+” model to foster a trillion-yuan industry through scientific and technological innovation.
- In 2024–2025, based on the latest scientific evidence on probiotics in weight management, lipid regulation, and Helicobacter pylori (Hp) control, the Probiotic Branch of the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology invited experts to conduct multiple rounds of research and discussion, forming the following scientific consensus:
(1) Functional claims of probiotics must be based on solid scientific evidence.
(2) Probiotics can regulate body weight by modulating the composition of gut microbiota and its metabolic products.
(3) Probiotics can improve lipid profiles by intervening in lipid metabolism and reducing lipid absorption.
(4) Probiotics play an important role in adjuvant intervention of Helicobacter pylori.
(5) Establishing strain-level, highly applicable functional evaluation methods is a key research direction.
- Recently, the “Expert Consensus on Multi-strain Probiotic Formulation” was officially released during the 20th Probiotics and Health Symposium.
(1) Multi-strain formulation is a key direction in probiotic product innovation and development.
(2) Ecological theories serve as references for strain interactions and formulation.
(3) Host gut microbiota variability, raw strain processing characteristics, and stability are the main influencing factors for probiotic formulation.
(4) Strain-level precise identification and activity evaluation are critical technologies for quality control of formulated probiotic products.
(5) AI technologies will drive the transformation of probiotic formulation from “experience-driven” to “data-driven”.
- On May 19, the China Nutrition and Health Food Association approved the proposal to revise the group standard “Grading Specification for Live Bacteria Content in Probiotic Foods” (T/CNHFA006-2022).
- On May 21, the Institute of Nutrition and Health at China Agricultural University and Yakult (China) Investment Co., Ltd. officially signed a cooperation agreement to jointly establish the “Joint Laboratory of Probiotics and Health”, aiming to advance probiotic scientific research and functional health studies.
- On May 15, Shenzhen Meili Nutrition Technology Co., Ltd., the parent company of probiotic supplement brand WonderLab, invested to establish Guangdong Hengqin Wanyilan Biotechnology Co., Ltd., with a registered capital of RMB 10 million. The legal representative is Le Shiyi. The company’s business scope includes research and development of industrial enzyme preparations and sales of health foods (pre-packaged).
- On May 22, the China International Health and Nutrition Expo (NHNE), in collaboration with Douyin E-commerce Global Purchase and others, released the “2024–2025 Industry Insights on Brand and Channel Development in the Health and Nutrition Sector”, showing that in Q1 2025, the children’s probiotics market demonstrated notable growth. On the channel side, Douyin sales revenue surged 178.9% year-on-year, becoming the main driver of growth.
- On May 19, PepsiCo announced the completion of its acquisition of Poppi for USD 1.95 billion. This acquisition marks an important step in PepsiCo’s continued product portfolio transformation and reinforces its commitment to meeting consumers’ evolving preferences for tasty and functional products. Poppi is a rapidly growing prebiotic soda brand that aligns with modern health priorities.
- On May 21, at the NutraIngredients Awards ceremony in Barcelona, AB-BIOTICS’ two probiotic ingredients, AB-LIFE® and Gyntima® Menopause, were honored with the “Ingredient of the Year” award in the “Healthy Ageing” and “Microbiome Modulation” categories, respectively.
- On May 12, Kirin Holdings, beauty brand AXXZIA, and leading Japanese health brand Fancl jointly announced the launch of their co-developed dietary supplement “RevWell Lacto Stick” featuring patented plasma lactic acid bacteria. The product debuted on AXXZIA’s cross-border e-commerce flagship store for the Chinese market.
- Global food giant Danone made its first move into the USD 7 billion protein shake market, expanding its flagship yogurt brand Oikos into a new product category. The newly launched Oikos protein shake emphasizes “functionality + portability” and is Danone’s first non-refrigerated Oikos product. Each 12-ounce bottle contains 30g of protein, 5g of prebiotic fiber, and vitamins A and D. Available in vanilla, chocolate, and salted caramel flavors, the product has launched on Amazon and Kroger, and will enter Walmart and Costco later this summer.
- Beingmate launched a new “Life Companion Series” of probiotic products. These ready-to-consume probiotics are designed as a “fourth meal” for gut health, each containing 100.1 billion live bacteria and patented strains. The series emphasizes precision nutrition, precision nutrition technology, and personalized nutrition, with a live bacteria rate exceeding 99%. Initial offerings include Life Companion No.1, No.2, and No.10.
- On May 7, Weidongli announced the launch of a new probiotic bayberry juice. The product uses Dongkui bayberries from Shiping, Yunnan, with each bottle containing the juice of 63 bayberries and a minimum juice content of 60%. It features multiple colonizing strains, basic vitality strains, and versatile linker strains, with only water, fruit juice, and probiotics—no fat, artificial sweeteners, or colorants.
- Danone released a new probiotic milk powder for middle-aged and elderly consumers under its “Probiotic Shield” line. The product features a patented “EternaProbiotic” formulation, including a compound of prebiotics (GOS, inulin, and pectin) to stimulate beneficial bacteria activity, and the human-origin probiotic Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum BB536, approved for use in infant foods. Each can contains 40 billion CFUs.
- On April 29, Juneyao Health (stock code: 605388) released its 2024 annual report, reporting revenue of approximately RMB 1.46 billion (≈ USD 204.4 million), a year-on-year decline of 10.8%, and a net loss attributable to the parent company of approximately RMB 29.12 million (≈ USD 4.07 million), down 150.6% year-on-year. The report noted major business restructuring, particularly in the probiotic beverage segment. Revenue from probiotic foods increased by 26.76% compared to 2023, while revenue from other food and beverage categories grew by 45.78%. Despite strong revenue growth, the company remained in an investment phase, resulting in higher associated costs and a decline in net profit compared to the previous year.
- Functional probiotic soda startup Culture Pop Soda raised USD 15 million from existing investors—its second fundraising round since its USD 21 million Series B in March 2024. The company stated that the funds will support continued distribution expansion and marketing investments.
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