Experts warn of inconsistent probiotic quality in children's care
As probiotic use in pediatric care increases, experts are calling for standardized quality controls. A congress in Italy highlighted concerns over product inconsistencies and contamination.
Italy, April 13, 2026 – With the use of probiotics in pediatric care accelerating, leading scientists are warning that inconsistent product quality may put clinical outcomes at risk. The global market for children's probiotics is projected to grow significantly in the coming decade.
At the upcoming Probiotics, Prebiotics, Postbiotics in Paediatrics (PPPP) Congress in Italy, experts will advocate for urgent, evidence-based quality standards. The event gathers leading European specialists in pediatric gastroenterology and microbiology to discuss the importance of probiotic quality.
Opella is hosting a symposium at the congress titled "Are All Probiotics the Same?". Professor Roberto Berni Canani emphasized that clinical decisions should be based on scientific evidence and that parents are faced with a wide variety of products with varying quality and scientific backing.
Symposium presentations included study findings revealing significant discrepancies in the composition of commercially available Bacillus clausii probiotics, with most tested products found to be contaminated. Only a reference product was free from contamination and consistent with its labeled spore count.
The findings underscore that probiotic products are not interchangeable and that quality differences can have tangible clinical consequences. The congress aims to shape future clinical guidance and promote harmonized standards for probiotic use in pediatric care worldwide.