Fermented Foods Market Size to Reach USD 259.27 Billion in 2025

Fermented Foods Market Size, Growth, and Trends 2025 to 2034

The global fermented foods market size is projected to expand from USD 259.27 billion in 2025 to USD 398.78 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. This growth is fueled by the rising consumer preference for gut health and probiotic-rich diets, increasing demand for natural and functional foods, and the growing adoption of fermented products across beverages, dairy, bakery, and plant-based alternatives.

Last Updated: 26 September 2025 Category: Plant-based Food & Beverages Insight Code: 5852 Format: PDF / PPT / Excel

The global fermented foods market size reached at USD 247.16 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to increase from USD 259.27 billion in 2025 to an estimated USD 398.78 billion by 2034, witnessing a CAGR of 4.9% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. The market is driven by the increasing consumer awareness about the health advantages of prebiotics and probiotics for immunity and gut health.

Fermented Foods Market Size 2025 to 2034

Key Highlights

  • By region, Asia Pacific dominated the fermented foods market share in 2024.
  • By region, Europe is expected to grow fastest during the forecast period.
  • By product, the fermented food segment held a major market share in 2024.
  • By product, the fermented beverages segment is projected to grow at a fastest CAGR between 2025 and 2034.
  • By ingredient source, the dairy-based fermented foods segment held a major market share in 2024.
  • By ingredient source, the plant-based fermented foods segment is projected to grow at the fastest CAGR between 2025 and 2034.
  • By application, the Residential/Household Consumption segment held a major market share in 2024.
  • By application, the commercial/foodservice segment is projected to grow at the fastest CAGR between 2025 and 2034.
  • By distribution channel, supermarkets/hypermarkets segment held a major market share in 2024.
  • By distribution channel, the online retail/ e-commerce segment is projected to grow at a fastest CAGR between 2025 and 2034.
  • By fermentation type, the lactic acid fermentation segment held a major market share in 2024.
  • By fermentation type, the acetic acid and alcoholic fermentation segment is projected to grow at a fastest CAGR between 2025 and 2034.

Industry Coverage

Study Coverage Details
Growth Rate from 2025 to 2034 CAGR of 4.9%
Market Size in 2025 USD 259.27 Billion
Market Size in 2026 USD 271.98 Billion
Market Size by 2034 USD 398.78 Billion
Largest Market Asia Pacific
Base Year 2024
Forecast Period 2025 to 2034
Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa

Increasing Demand for Highly Nutritional Foods in Fermented Foods May Revolutionize the Market Growth in 2025

The fermented foods market deals with highly nutritional food that are naturally fermented to enhance individuals' health advantages, especially for digestion and gut health. These fermented superfoods are rich in antioxidants, minerals vitamins, and other necessary nutrients. These fermented foods are expected to prevent chronic conditions, improve immune system, increase energy, and improve overall health and well-being. 

The global market for fermented foods is experiencing rapid growth due to factors such as increasing awareness of gut health, increasing consumer preference towards fermented foods, increasing demand for natural and organic food products, and increasing demand for clean label and natural food products during the forecast period. The market is driven by the increasing expansion of product availability, rising innovation in fermentation technology and product offerings, increasing demand for artisanal products and diverse traditional, increasing consumer preference towards plant-based, organic and natural foods, and increasing consumer awareness towards health and wellness.

  • Increasing demand for plant-based and vegan diets: The increase of plant-based and vegan diets directly accelerates the demand for fermented products, as various are plant-based options to animal products, which are expected to drive the market growth.
  • Rising innovation in new product development: Various companies are launching innovative and new fermented food and beverage products to address increasing consumer demands, which may expect to fuel the growth of the fermented foods market.
  • Increasing consumer focus on sustainability: The environmental advantages of fermentation, including water use and lower land, appeal to health-conscious consumers, which is further expected to drive the market growth in the region. 

Market Opportunity

Rising Technological Advancements

One of the significant opportunities revolutionizing market growth is the rising technological advancements which help to improve product functionality, quality, and efficiency. Precision fermentation allows manufacturers to adapt the fermentation process for enhanced texture, consistency, and flavor. IoT-integrated monitoring tools and automated systems aid to enhance food quality, minimize contamination issues, and balance precise environmental diseases. 

In addition, during digestion and processing, innovative technologies help probiotics, which drive the global market demand. As customer need increases for functional and reliable food products, these technological advancements may accelerate the market demand. Furthermore, increasing technological innovations in fermented foods are concentrating on food preservation, functional foods, nutritional quality improvement, food safety and quality, and procedure optimization, which further is expected to revolutionize the growth of the fermented foods market in the coming years.

Market Challenge

Lack of Shelf Life of Fermented Foods

One of the major challenging factors restraining market growth is the inconsistent shelf life of fermented foods. The fermentation procedure can lead to shorter shelf lives and inconsistent product quality, which can create major challenges for distribution and widespread adoption. In addition, supply chain issues, regulatory hurdles, competition from substitutes and maintain standardization are also a major challenge, which are further expected to restrain the growth of the fermented foods market.

Regional Insights

How Asia Pacific Dominates the Fermented Foods Market Revenue in 2024?

Asia Pacific dominated the global market revenue in 2024. The market growth in the region is driven by factors such as increasing environmental awareness and growing focus on sustainability, increasing significance of international market players, rising growth of retail channels in the fermented foods, increasing technological advancements in fermentation process, increasing government policies and initiatives, and rising awareness of probiotics and gut health to enhance overall health.

China, India, Japan, and South Korea are dominating countries propelling the market in the region. China and India are the dominated and most significant countries propelled by an increasing consumer preference towards plant-based diets, increasing rapid urbanization, and increasing disposable income.

Europe Fermented Foods Market Trends

Europe is expected to grow fastest during the forecast period. The market growth in the region is attributed to the factors such as increasing consumer focus on health and wellness, increasing demand for functional and natural products, increasing popularity of probiotic-rich foods and increasing consumer awareness towards gut health and overall wellbeing. UK, France and Germany are the fastest growing countries driving the market growth.

Segmental Insights

Product Insights

How Fermented Foods Segment Dominates the Fermented Foods Market Revenue in 2024?

The fermented foods segment dominated the global market revenue in 2024. Fermented foods play an important role in fermented foods due to their beneficial probiotics, enhanced digestibility and rich nutritional content that support immunity, gut health and overall wellness. By increasing the bioavailability of certain nutrients and reducing spoilage, fermented foods provide unique textures and flavors. In addition, fermented foods have various health benefits such as improved mental health, enhance heart health, boosted immunity, enhanced nutrient absorption, improved digestion, enhanced texture and flavor, and increased shelf life of fermented foods, which further expected to drive the segment growth in the global market.

The Fermented Beverages Segment is Expected to Grow Fastest During the Forecast Period. 

The segment growth in the market is driven by the increasing rapid urbanization, increasing per capita, rising advancements in production technology, increasing popularity of plant-based food and probiotic and increasing consumer health awareness.

Ingredient Insights

Why Dairy-based Foods Segment Dominates the Fermented Foods Market Revenue in 2024?

The dairy-based fermented foods segment dominated the global market revenue in 2024. The segment growth in the global market is driven by the ready-to-eat and convenient food choices, increasing middle-class population, rising technological advancements in dairy-based foods, increasing diversification and innovation in food products and increasing consumer consciousness towards health and wellbeing. The high probiotic content in fermented dairy products can enhance customer ability and immunity to avoid infections. The process of fermentation makes nutrients easier to digest than in their unfermented state and breaks down them in food. In addition, probiotics are highly available in fermented dairy products to significantly minimize blood pressure and reduce the prevalence of heart disease, which further fuels the segment growth.

The Plant-Based Fermented Foods Segment is Expected to Grow Fastest During the Forecast Period. 

The segment growth in the market is attributed to the factors such as increasing consumer trend towards vegan lifestyles, increasing consumer awareness towards health and wellness, increased accessibility, increasing consumer focus on sustainability, and increasing technological advancements in plant-based fermented foods. The fermented plant-based fermented foods are expected to have a high functional and nutritional value, which may enhance consumer health and wellness.

Application Insights 

What Factors Help Residential/Household Consumption Segment Grow in 2024?

The residential/household consumption segment dominated the market revenue in 2024. Residential or household consumption plays an important role in fermented foods industry as it provides prebiotics and probiotics that improve digestion, boost immune system and support gut health. These foods provide nutritional benefits by making minerals more bioavailable and producing vitamins. In addition, the increasing consumption of fermented foods contributes to prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other cancers. The health benefits of residential or household consumption such as enhanced immune function, improved gut health, enhanced mental wellbeing and disease prevention are expected to drive the segment growth in the global market.

The Commercial/Foodservice Segment is Expected to Grow Fastest During the Forecast Period. 

The segment growth in the fermented foods market is driven by the factors such as the increasing customer trend towards organic and functional foods, increasing need for probiotics-based and plant-based food, rising popularity of health-conscious dining, increased gut health, reduced pathogens, improve immune function, improved digestibility and enhanced nutrition.

Distribution Channel Insights

How Supermarkets or Hypermarkets Segment Dominated the Fermented Foods Market Revenue in 2024?

The supermarkets/hypermarkets segment dominated the market revenue in 2024. The segment expansion in the global market is driven by factors such as increasing accessibility, increasing rapid urbanization, increasing government promotional initiatives, and increasing consumer convenience and accessibility. In addition, the increasing significance of distribution channels including hypermarkets and supermarkets helps consumers to motivate repeat buying and purchasing and improve their shopping experience. Furthermore, the increasing consumer consciousness about the health advantages of fermented foods, such as enhanced gut health and digestion are further expected to drive the segment growth in the global market.

The Online Retail/E-Commerce Segment is Expected to Grow Fastest During the Forecast Period. 

The segment growth in the fermented foods market is driven by the growing e-commerce industries, increasing consumer changing and busy lifestyles, increasing accessibility and convenience, and increasing consumer preference towards sustainability trends. By providing a huge range of fermented plant-based food products, online platforms significantly serve these initiatives, which further fuels the demand for online retail or e-commerce in the global market. 

Fermentation Insights

Why Lactic Acid Fermentation Segment Dominated the Fermented Foods Market Revenue in 2024?

The lactic acid fermentation segment dominated the global market revenue in 2024. The segment growth in the global market is driven by factors such as increasing valorization of food by-products, increased fuel efficiency, growing digestibility, increasing bioavailability of nutrients, produced antimicrobial compounds, reduced acidity and highly used in yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi

The Acetic Acid and Alcoholic Fermentation Segment is Expected to Grow Fastest During the Forecast Period. 

Acetic acid and alcoholic fermentation play an important role market for flavor preservation, enhancement and health benefits. Alcoholic fermentation creates alcohol in beverages such as wine and beer and produces CO2 and ethanol from sugars.

Fermented Foods Market - Value Chain Analysis

Raw Material Procurement

  • In the fermented foods industry, the raw material procurement deals with strategic procedure of purchasing, evaluating and sourcing of fish oil from the various vitamins, minerals and other probiotics.

Packaging and Branding

  • Branding and Packaging for fermented foods market focuses on creating packaging which may ensures remain stable, safe and fresh by protecting them from contamination, light and moisture.

Waste Management and Recycling

  • The waste management and recycling in the fermented foods industry are including rejected batches and leftover raw materials such as sweeteners, flavors and tastes, which may drive market growth during the forecast period.

Recent Developments in the Fermented Foods Market

Corbion

  • Launch: In 2025, Corbion launched Ferment4Health project in collaboration with Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. This public-private initiative aims to uncover how postbiotics and fermented foods can reduce chronic low-grade inflammation and improve gut health. (Source: bake)

Verley

  • Launch: In March 2025, a French biotech company specializing in sustainable food solutions, Verley launched dairy proteins, a portfolio of functionalized precision fermentation designed to overcome the limitations of both plant-based and traditional alternatives. (Source: Dairy Foods)

Fermented Foods Market Leading Companies

Segments Covered in the Report

By Product Type

  • Fermented Foods 
  • Yogurt
  • Cheese
  • Sauerkraut/Pickles/Kimchi
  • Tempeh
  • Tofu
  • Fermented Meat/Fish
  • Fermented Cereals/Grains
  • Fermented Beverages 
  • Kombucha
  • Kefir
  • Probiotic Yogurt Drinks
  • Fermented Juices/Smoothies
  • Alcoholic Ferments(Beer, Cider – when included)

By Ingredient Source

  • Dairy-Based
  • Milk-based yogurts, kefirs, cheeses, etc.
  • Plant-Based 
  • Soy, almond, coconut-based yogurts
  • Plant-based kefirs and probiotic drinks
  • Fermented vegetables and legumes
  • Grain-Based 
  • Fermented oats, millet, rice-based drinks, etc.

By Application/End-Use

  • Residential/Household Consumption
  • Regular grocery purchases for home use
  • Commercial/Foodservice 
  • Restaurants, cafes, health-focused food chains

By Distribution Channel

  • Supermarkets/Hypermarkets
  • Major outlet for packaged fermented products
  • Online Retail/E-Commerce
  • Rapid growth due to convenience and health-focused niches
  • Specialty Stores 
  • Convenience Stores 

By Fermentation Type

  • Lactic Acid Fermentation
  • Used in yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc.
  • Acetic Acid & Alcoholic Fermentation
  • Kombucha, vinegar, beer, etc. 

By Region

  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East and Africa (MEA)
  • Latin America
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  • Report Covered: [Revenue + Volume]
  • Historical Year: 2021-2023
  • Base Year: 2024
  • Estimated Years: 2025-2034

Meet the Team

Vidyesh Swar, Senior Research Analyst at Towards Food & Beverages, specializes in market research, focusing on supply-demand evaluation, pricing analysis, alternative proteins, plant-based foods, and sustainable food technologies within the industry.

Learn more about Vidyesh Swar

Aditi Shivarkar, with 14+ years in Food and Beverages market research, specializes in food, beverage, and eco-friendly packaging. She ensures accurate, actionable insights, driving Towards FnB's excellence in industry trends and sustainability.

Learn more about Aditi Shivarkar

Related Insights

FAQ's

The global fermented foods market is valued at USD 259.27 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 398.78 billion by 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 4.9%. Growth is fueled by rising demand for probiotic-rich, plant-based, and functional foods.

Asia Pacific leads the market due to strong cultural roots in fermented diets, large consumer base, and rising disposable incomes, while Europe is the fastest-growing region, driven by demand for functional and probiotic-rich foods.

Technologies like precision fermentation, IoT-integrated monitoring, and automated systems enhance food safety, consistency, and efficiency. They are enabling scalable production of plant-based and functional fermented foods, attracting investment interest.

Opportunities lie in plant-based fermentation, functional beverages like kombucha and kefir, precision fermentation for novel proteins, and direct-to-consumer online channels that cater to health-conscious and premium buyers.

The market is highly competitive, with global giants like Nestlé, Danone, PepsiCo, and Unilever investing in product innovation and M&A. Startups are also emerging with niche, artisanal, and plant-based offerings.

Key trends include plant-based dairy alternatives, kombucha and probiotic drinks boom, functional snacks with fermentation benefits, and a focus on sustainability through eco-friendly fermentation practices.

Fermented foods (yogurt, cheese, kimchi, tempeh) dominate revenue today, but fermented beverages (kombucha, probiotic yogurts, fermented juices) are projected to grow fastest, fueled by rising urbanization and wellness trends.

Key players include Nestlé, Danone, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Heineken, Mondelez, Kraft Heinz, Unilever, and Fonterra. They are investing in new product launches, partnerships, and technology-driven solutions.