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Survey Of 12,646 Europeans Maps Big Gaps In Fermented Food Intake

A continent-wide diet survey finds most Europeans eat fermented dairy and cereals daily but barely touch fermented vegetables, a gap worth knowing.

By Dr. Axe Editorial Team · October 15, 2026 · 1 source · Watch

A survey of 12,646 adults across 53 European countries, published October 15, 2026 in the British Journal of Nutrition, finds that while 94.1% to 95.6% of people eat fermented dairy, consumers of fermented vegetables eat only 4.4 to 8.4 grams a day.

94–96%eat fermented dairy

4.4–8.4g/day fermented veggies

12,646adults, 53 countries

Researchers surveyed 12,646 adults across 53 countries in four European regions between 2023 and 2024, using a validated fermented food questionnaire covering fifteen categories. Fermented dairy was eaten by 94.1% to 95.6% of people, median 66.7 to 80.1 grams a day. Coffee and fermented cereals were nearly as widespread, at 78.4% to 84.1% and 89.9% to 95.9% prevalence. Over 90% ate fermented chocolate weekly. Fermented vegetables and legumes were the opposite: just 4.4 to 8.4 grams a day and 4.5 to 9.0 milliliters a week among consumers. Plant-based alternatives reached up to 72.8% in Western Europe, but median weekly intake was only 25.5 milliliters. Alcoholic ferments varied by region, and non-alcoholic ferments had lower prevalence, 18.3% to 49.3%, but higher weekly intake among consumers who drank them. How many people ate a given fermented food and how much they ate varied independently across categories.

Fermented foods carry live or formerly active microbial cultures plus the acids, peptides and vitamins those microbes produce; different categories deliver different strains and byproducts depending on food and process. The authors report substantial regional heterogeneity in prevalence and intake and call for standardized dietary monitoring to close data gaps before researchers can link these intake patterns to health outcomes.

Fermented Dairy Vs. Fermented Vegetable Intake Among Consumers

British Journal of Nutrition, 2026, Syrpas et al.

This is a cross-sectional dietary survey, not a trial. It shows a link between region, food category and intake levels, not proof that eating more or less of any fermented food changes a health outcome. Funding and conflicts not reported in the abstract.

Dr. Axe’s Take

People default to whatever fermented food is easiest to buy, which is yogurt, kefir and sourdough bread, and skip the ones I think do the most for gut diversity: sauerkraut, kimchi and other fermented vegetables. Dairy and cereal ferments have real value, but fermented vegetables bring plant fibers and wild strains that feed different members of the community of microbes living in your gut. My step this week is simple: add a forkful of raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut or kimchi to a meal daily, and if dairy does not agree with you, try coconut kefir or kombucha instead.

— Dr. Axe

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Study summary

Who: 12,646 adults across 53 countries in four European regions, surveyed 2023 to 2024
Design: Cross-sectional dietary survey using a validated fermented food frequency questionnaire covering fifteen food categories
Dose: Not applicable; dietary intake survey, not an intervention
Primary result: Fermented dairy eaten by 94.1–95.6% of people, median 66.7–80.1 g/day; fermented vegetables eaten by consumers at only 4.4–8.4 g/day
Secondary: Coffee and cereals widely eaten (78.4–84.1% and 89.9–95.9%); plant-based alternatives tried by up to 72.8% in Western Europe but only 25.5 ml/week; alcoholic ferment intake ranged by type and region among consumers
Funding / conflicts: Funding and conflicts not reported in the abstract.
Date: Oct 15, 2026