The four knights game
It is a break from school here in the UK, and as a result my son and I have been heading to our local café for our office lunches, where we are playing chess on his phone while we wait for our food. I would not say I am a very adept player, as I have yet to win any, but I have managed to get his king into check a few times now, and for me, that’s a result.
I was never a chess player as a child – my games were backgammon and poker, both of which I can still triumph over him on, when we play them. But he enjoys swiping the queen and then winning. My trick now is to try and grab his knights, often in revenge for him taking the queen. Go after the horses is my motto.
Turns out we’re all chess players lately. We’re on the lookout for any advantages we can get in the health and nutrition stakes, due to the global pandemic. This is where the recent news from Kerry in its multinational consumer survey. One in four consumers (25%) had used a product containing probiotics over the past six months – up from 21% in 2019. A further 44% would consider doing so, up from 40% in 2019. Usage was particularly high in China, where almost half (49%) of respondents had used a product containing probiotics over the past six months, followed by Mexico (42%).
Kerry surveyed over 13,000 consumers across 16 countries. Globally, nearly half (47%) were aware of probiotics or cultures – more than the 42% who were aware in 2019, when the survey was last conducted. Awareness was particularly high in Latin America (63%) and North America (61%). Nearly four in ten (38%) of survey respondents globally had used some form of digestive health product over the past six months, almost as high as the number who had used an immune health product (39%).
The same amount said they would be interested in purchasing yogurts with such immune health benefits. Dairy-based drinks were also associated with these health benefits (31%). Now, that’s a game of nutritional benefits that dairy can always win, when compared to non-dairy products.
- Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
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