Affecting 61% of Germans, digestive issues remain widespread in 2023. However, in the six months to November, Germans’ digestive issues mostly stayed the same (48%) or improved (43%) compared to six months before.
Since unhealthy diets and poor mental health are the main sources of digestive issues, Germans’ recovering financial confidence in the second half of 2023 likely improved digestive health. Furthermore, rising prices altered Germans’ spending with financial concerns prompting 37% of VMS users to cut back or stop using VMS in the 12 months to September 2023. However, gut health supplements remained largely crisis-proof as Germans appreciate gut health’s wide-ranging health benefits.
Food and drink brands have both recognised Germans’ focus on gut health, contributing with functional food or drink. This has increased competition for digestive health brands and prompted cynical attitudes towards gut health claims. In fact, 73% of Germans with digestive issues think there are too many products claiming to be good for gut health.
Digestive health brands can stand out in functional food or drink with their medical expertise. Internationally, digestive brands (eg Zoe, Biogena) have partnered with snack brands or retailers to launch functional foods while digestive treatment brands have invested in foodlike formats, like chews or lactase chocolate snacks.
This Report Looks At The Following Areas
- The short-, medium- and long-term impact of inflation on digestive health, including its impact on spending and health priorities.
- Experience of digestive issues, such as bloating and heartburn, and change in issues experienced
- Treatments used for digestive issues covering homemade and OTC remedies as well as lifestyle changes
- Purchase of digestive OTC remedies and supplements, with digestive bitters and probiotics leading the way
- Sources of digestive issues, like unhealthy diets, poor mental wellbeing or food intolerances
- Behaviours towards digestive health, including Germans’ dietary habits, scepticism towards gut health claims and opinions on treatment options
Receding financial stress and a continuous focus on gut health have helped Germans to largely improve digestive issues. Opportunities remain for brands to offer support for mild digestive issues or focus on prevention, such as with energy-boosting probiotics.
Hannah Sandow, Health & Wellbeing Senior Analyst, Germany
Collapse All
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- Key issues covered in this Report
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Market context
- Mintel predicts
- Opportunities
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MARKET DRIVERS
- The German economy
- Graph 1: key economic data, in real terms, 2019-25
- Graph 2: financial confidence index, 2022 – 23
- The impact of the economy on the digestive health market
- Physical and mental wellbeing
- Graph 3: perceived benefits of good gastrointestinal and digestive health, 2022
- Nutrition
- Graph 4: frequency of eating/drinking healthily, 2021-23
- Graph 5: “Which of the following would you be most likely to consume if you were looking for digestive/gut health benefits? Please select up to three.”, 2023*
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Digestive issues experienced and changes in the last six months
- Graph 6: digestive issues experienced in the last six months, 2023
- Graph 7: digestive issues experienced, by generation, 2023
- Change in digestive issues
- Graph 8: change in digestive issues experienced compared to six months ago, by net monthly household income, 2023
- Treatments used for digestive issues
- Graph 9: treatments used for digestive issues in the last six months, 2023
- Usage of digestive OTC remedies
- Graph 10: OTC digestive remedies used in the last six months, 2023
- Sources of digestive issues in the last six months
- Graph 11: sources of digestive issues in the last six months, 2023
- Graph 12: interest in using psychological treatments to improve digestive issues, by selected source of digestive issues, 2023
- Behaviours towards digestive health
- Graph 13: behaviours towards digestive health, 2023
- Graph 14: eating behaviours, 2023
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LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
- Graph 15: selected functional claims in VMS NPD, 2019-23
- Graph 16: digestive and detoxifying treatment NPD as a % of all healthcare, 2019-23
- Graph 17: digestive and detoxifying treatment NPD, by format type, 2019-23
- Graph 18: NPD in digestive & detoxifying treatments and digestive VMS by top functional claims, 2019-23
- Graph 19: digestive and detoxifying treatment and digestive VMS NPD with probiotic claims by region, 2019-23
- Graph 20: NPD in digestive & detoxifying treatments and digestive VMS, by top claims, 2019-23
- Advertising and marketing activity
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MARKET SIZE, SEgmentation AND FORECAST
- Graph 21: retail market value and growth for OTC gastrointestinal medication, 2019-23
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APPENDIX
- Appendix – products covered, abbreviations, consumer research methodology and language usage
- Appendix – market size and central forecast methodology
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