The manufacturers of probiotic yogurts and yogurt drinks have, in the past, claimed their products can help relieve digestive irregularity and boost the immune system. However, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which regulates food health claims, has recently found insufficient evidence for claims that probiotic products have a positive effect on the immune system and digestive health. The food industry's probiotics sector, worth £200 million a year in the U.K., has complained that EFSA uses excessively rigorous scientific standards, similar to those used in the pharmaceutical industry, to assess claims.
However, expert professor Bob Rastall, head of Food and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Reading, firmly believes probiotics can be useful.