Contaminated, mislabelled, interchangeable: experts sound the alarm on probiotic quality in children's care.
Italy, 13 April 2026 – Opella As probiotic use in paediatric care accelerates, and with the global kids’ probiotics market projected to grow from USD 1.85 billion in 2025 to USD 3.1 billion by 2035[1], leading scientists warn that inconsistent product quality may put clinical outcomes at risk.
At the upcoming Probiotics, Prebiotics, Postbiotics in Paediatrics (PPPP) Congress (16-18 April, 2026), one of the world’s foremost forums dedicated to paediatric microbiome health, experts will call for urgent, evidence-based quality standards.
Opella is hosting a satellite symposium at the PPPP Congress on Saturday, 18 April, bringing together leading European specialists in paediatric gastroenterology and microbiology under the theme "Are All Probiotics the Same? The Importance of Compositional Quality of Probiotics." The session, moderated by Prof. Roberto Berni Canani, one of the leading experts in Paediatrics and Gastroenterology and Professor of Paediatrics at the University Federico II of Naples, will explore what truly defines probiotic quality and how this should guide clinical decision-making among healthcare professionals.
Prof. Dr. Roberto Berni Canani. Professor of Paediatrics.
“In paediatrics, clinical decisions must be grounded in interventions that are supported by robust scientific evidence. Probiotics should be no exception. Yet today, parents are faced with shelves crowded with products that may look similar, but vary greatly in quality and level of scientific support. New studies continue to deepen our understanding of how probiotic quality directly influences reliability, it becomes increasingly clear that rigorous quality surveillance – together with clear information for healthcare professionals and parents – is essential to enable informed choices and to support responsible, evidence‑based paediatric care.”
Additional sessions will also focus on this important topic. Prof. Dr. Hania Szajewska, Professor and Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at the Medical University of Warsaw, will discuss "Too Many Probiotics – Rethinking What Really Matters", examining how the rapid proliferation of probiotic products has outpaced the evidence and what criteria should guide clinical recommendations. Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Emilia Ghelardi, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology at the University of Pisa, will present "Probiotics Under the Microscope: Evaluating Quantity and Defining Quality".
Ghelardi’s session is expected to be a key highlight of the symposium, showcasing compositional quality data on commercially available Bacillus clausii probiotics in India[2]. The peer-reviewed analysis revealed major discrepancies between claimed and actual content, including significant contamination in most products tested. Enterogermina®, used as the reference product, was the only probiotic found to be contamination-free and consistent with its labelled spore count. With probiotics subject to varying regulatory requirements worldwide, these results raise a broader concern: quality inconsistencies may not be isolated to a single market.
This commitment to scientific rigour extends beyond Enterogermina® to Opella's broader innovation agenda. Last month, Opella announced a strategic partnership with Verb Biotics for the development of a next-generation probiotic strain.
Denis Guyonnet. Microbiome & Next-Generation Bioactive Platform Leader, Opella. “Whether we are building on decades of clinical experience with an established probiotic like Enterogermina or developing the next generation of microbiome solutions with partners like Verb Biotics, the principle is the same: the science must be rigorous and the product must deliver what it promises. In a market growing as fast as this one, quality is a baseline requirement. Anything less puts both patient trust and clinical outcomes at risk.”
For paediatricians and pharmacists, the findings underscore a crucial message: probiotic products are not interchangeable, and differences in quality can have tangible clinical consequences. By presenting these insights, the PPPP 2026 symposium seeks to shape future clinical guidance and drive the adoption of harmonized standards for probiotics in paediatric care worldwide.
About Enterogermina.
Enterogermina is the world’s number one probiotic, formulated with Bacillus clausii, spore-forming probiotic bacteria that survive stomach acidity and reach the intestinal tract intact. Its unique spore format provides natural resilience to gastric acid, bile salts and heat, ensuring optimal delivery without refrigeration. Enterogermina® contains four clinically characterised strains of Bacillus clausii (O/C, SIN, N/R, T) and is indicated for the restoration of intestinal flora disrupted by antibiotic therapy, acute or chronic diarrhoea, and other conditions linked to microbiota imbalance. The brand is part of Opella’s portfolio of consumer health solutions designed to make self-care simple and effective.
About Opella.
Opella is the self-care challenger with the purest and third-largest portfolio in the Over the counter (OTC) & Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements (VMS) market globally. Our mission is to bring health in people’s hands by making self-care as simple as it should be. For half a billion consumers worldwide – and counting. At the core of this mission is our 100 loved brands, our 11,000-strong global team, our 13 best-in-class manufacturing sites and 4 specialized science and innovation development centers. Headquartered in France, Opella is the proud maker of many of the world’s most loved brands, including Allegra, Buscopan, Doliprane, Dulcolax, Enterogermina, Essentiale and Mucosolvan. B Corp certified globally, we are active players in the journey towards healthier people and planet.
Find out more about our mission at www.opella.com.
[1] https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/probiotic-for-kids-market
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