Kerry Health & Therapeutics VP: Indonesia’s biotics opportunity lies in affordable everyday foods

Kerry is targeting opportunities to move probiotics and postbiotics into everyday bakery and snack products in Indonesia. The focus comes as regulatory developments give manufacturers new ways to communicate live cultures to consumers. 

At Fi Asia Indonesia 2026, held in Jakarta from September 16–18, the company will showcase concepts containing its BC30 probiotic, Plenibiotic postbiotic, and Wellmune baker’s yeast beta-glucan postbiotic.

The ingredients address growing demand for digestive and immune health products that retain the taste, texture, affordability, and convenience expected from familiar foods. The trend forms part of a wider shift toward healthier, functional formulations designed for Southeast Asian markets.

“Indonesia is entering an exciting new phase of functional food innovation. Recent regulatory developments have made it easier for manufacturers to bring science-backed digestive wellness solutions into everyday foods that consumers already know and trust,” Olivier De Salmiech, VP of Kerry Health & Therapeutics, tells Food Ingredients First.

Opening the live culture market

Kerry points to two significant regulatory milestones. The first was the inclusion of Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 — marketed as BC30 — in Indonesia’s permitted microorganism framework under Head of BPOM Decision No. 38/2023.

The second was BPOM’s approval of the “Live Culture” claim on September 17, 2025.

“This approval gives manufacturers a powerful new way to communicate the presence of live cultures on-pack and in marketing communications,” says De Salmiech.

“To use the claim, manufacturers must meet BPOM’s requirements for strain identification, live culture levels at the end of shelf life, supporting analytical validation, and appropriate storage guidance. The approval applies across applicable food categories, excluding Category 13.0 Special Nutrition Products.”

The claim could help manufacturers translate probiotic science into language that is easier for consumers to understand. We recently examined how the development, together with Indonesia’s expanding halal requirements, is shaping the country’s market for biotic ingredients.

Formulating for shelf life

The three Kerry ingredients offer different routes into functional bakery and snacks.

“BC30 is a spore-forming probiotic. Its natural protective spore structure provides significantly greater resilience to manufacturing stresses, including heat, than many traditional probiotic cultures. However, because it is a live probiotic, formulation work must consider viability throughout the product’s entire shelf life, not simply at the point of manufacture,” explains De Salmiech.Kerry will showcase probiotic and postbiotic bakery and snack concepts at Fi Asia Indonesia 2026.

This makes end-of-shelf-life testing particularly important for products carrying the “Live Culture” claim. Kerry evaluates the health proposition, serving size, clinical evidence, processing conditions, moisture, packaging, storage, distribution, and regulatory requirements when establishing an inclusion level.

Plenibiotic offers a different approach because its functionality does not depend on live microorganisms.

“This gives manufacturers greater flexibility across processing, storage, and formulation, opening opportunities in challenging formats such as baked goods, snacks, and shelf-stable products. By reducing concerns around microbial survival, Plenibiotic can help simplify development and accelerate speed to market while bringing digestive wellness benefits into a wider range of everyday foods.”

Wellmune, meanwhile, is positioned for immune health and designed for integration into mainstream processing.

The concepts align with the wider evolution of snacking, where brands increasingly seek to combine indulgence with functional benefits. Recent industry research found that taste, convenience, affordability, and multifunctional nutrition are converging in snack development.

Accessible rather than exclusively premium

According to Kerry, 46% of Indonesian consumers are actively making healthier dietary and lifestyle choices. This is changing the briefs presented by local manufacturers.

“The question is moving away from ‘How do I create a functional product?’ toward ‘How do I make everyday products work harder for consumers?’ Manufacturers increasingly want solutions that bring digestive health, immune support, and broader wellness benefits into familiar formats, such as snacks, bakery products, beverages, and convenient everyday foods,” says De Salmiech.

However, consumers are unwilling to sacrifice enjoyment, while price remains a central consideration.

“There will always be opportunities for premium offerings, particularly where brands are seeking stronger differentiation or multiple health benefits. However, we see the greatest long-term growth opportunity in accessible functionality, bringing science-backed wellness benefits into products that are familiar, affordable, and scalable.”

Manufacturers’ questions are also becoming more sophisticated. Kerry says customers increasingly focus on regulatory compliance, claim language, processing performance, shelf life efficacy, sensory effects, and the distinctions between different biotic ingredients.

“Rather than asking whether they should include a biotic ingredient, manufacturers are increasingly focused on which solution is best suited to their application, target consumer, and desired health proposition.”

For De Salmiech, the sector’s longer-term opportunity lies in making functional benefits fit naturally into established eating habits.

“The most successful innovations will be those that combine credible science, great taste, and everyday convenience, helping consumers make positive choices without changing the foods they already love,” he says.