Probiotics are part of a category of new foods that have been consumed in the European Union (EU) since 1997. Probiotics were defined by the World Health Organisation in 2001 as “live micro-organisms that, when administered in appropriate doses, confer health benefits to the host”.

As a rule, probiotics are recommended for restoring intestinal flora destroyed following antibiotic treatment, or for restoring the balance of intestinal microflora after a particular disease that has disturbed it, as Covid-19 has been shown to do.