Swedish dairy company Skånemejerier has launched a probiotic supplement under its ProViva brand.
The 'shot', which is a concentrated form of the ProViva fruit drink, contains around 250 million beneficial bacteria per ml and is swallowed in one go.
"In Europe there is a large number of products that are sold as shots and we reckon that Swedes will also latch onto this new format," according to Lotta Törner, information director at Skånemejerier.
The ProViva Shot contains five times as many bacteria as the equivalent quantity of the ProViva fruit drink. It is sold in packs of six, each bottle containing 80 ml.
Featuring the slogan 'The stomach's little friend', Skånemejerier has also developed new packaging to promote the health product. "We hope that the new packaging will make it easy for people to quickly acquire a new and beneficial habit," said Lotta Törner. "Surveys show that around 40 per cent of the population have stomach problems now and again."
The ProViva health drink (ProViva means 'for life') was produced along with research company Probi, based in Lund, Sweden. The products contain the patented lactobacillus plantarum 299v bacterium that successfully establishes itself in the stomach and provides a health-promoting effect, according to previous research.
ProViva Shot will be sold in all major food stores throughout Sweden and is available in two flavours - blueberry/lemon and tropical. A pack of six shots retails at around SK25 (€2.7).