Buying Guide: Consumer Council, Bacterial Count, CFU——Consumer Council Probiotic Report 2026: Do 50 Billion or 100 Billion CFU Better? Breaking Down the CFU Myth_Gut Health Trends_News

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Buying Guide: Consumer Council, Bacterial Count, CFU——Consumer Council Probiotic Report 2026: Do 50 Billion or 100 Billion CFU Better? Breaking Down the CFU Myth

2026-09-16 Source: 创始人 Views: 1

08挑選型：消委會、菌數、CFU——消委會益生菌報告2026：菌數500億、1000億一定好？拆解CFU迷思

The Consumer Council tested 40 probiotic supplements and found that only 15 clearly listed all probiotic strain information on the packaging. Consumers should pay attention to the following when purchasing:

1. Is strain labeling complete?

Complete probiotic labeling should include “genus + species + strain number”, ie., Lactobacillus plantarum GKM3. If only Lactobacillus was listed without a strain number, consumers couldn’t sure its scientific evidence.

2. Is the bacterial count (CFU) sufficient?

A higher bacterial count was not always better. The key was how many live bacteria remaining at the expiry date. Some products claimed hundreds billions of bacteria in manufacturing, but live bacteria might drop significantly if stored improperly or by expiry.

3. Is it passed safety tests?

When purchasing, checking whether the product had international certifications such as FDA, TGA, or received positive evaluations in Consumer Council tests.

The Consumer Council report reminded consumers some products containing Enterococcus faecalis which was not recommended for human consumption.