Self-Reported Familiarity with and Consumption of Fermented Foods and Awareness of Probiotics: An Online Convenience Sample of Adults in Saudi Arabia

This descriptive cross-sectional study surveyed an online convenience sample of 689 adults from five regions of Saudi Arabia regarding their familiarity with and consumption of 13 fermented foods, probiotic awareness, perceived health benefits, purchasing, and nutrition-label use. Chi-square tests were used to examine associations with educational level, and binary logistic regression was used to identify sociodemographic factors independently associated with familiarity. The sample was disproportionately female (62.3%) and highly educated (64.2% bachelor’s, 27.1% diploma or less, and 8.7% postgraduate). Only 23.2% of participants reported knowing what probiotics were, 52.4% reported familiarity with fermented foods, and 86.2% did not know whether all fermented foods contained probiotics. Laban and its varieties, yogurt, Greek yogurt, and commercial probiotic dairy products were the most familiar and consumed foods, whereas tempeh, miso, and kefir were the least familiar. Female gender (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.76–3.39) and higher educational attainment (bachelor’s: OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.11–2.30; postgraduate: OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.18–4.09) were independently associated with self-reported familiarity with fermented foods. These findings suggest limited self-reported awareness of probiotics in this sample. Consumer education and clearer information on live cultures may be worth exploring, but their effectiveness needs evaluation. Due to the convenience sampling and self-reported measures, these findings should not be generalized to the entire Saudi adult population.