From Coca-Cola to local Canadian brewers, the prebiotic soda industry is booming. Here’s why [Video]

Coca Cola is introducing a line of prebiotic sodas, marking the legacy beverage brand’s first foray into the “functional” soft drink market led by upstarts Olipop and Poppi — and further tightening competition as more Canadian brands launch their versions of the fizzy drinks.

The company announced on Tuesday that it would introduce the sodas, called Simply Pop, which it said will have prebiotic ingredients aimed at digestive health. They’ll first be available in the U.S. before expanding to other markets later this year.

Prebiotic sodas usually pair low-sugar and high-fibre content with ingredients meant to promote gut health — similar to kombucha and other fermented drinks. They’re referred to as “functional” because they’re sold as a wellness product, though some health professionals have tempered expectations of their health benefits.

Olipop co-founder and CEO Ben Goodwin said in a statement shared with CBC News that it was validating to see the “modern soda category” had gone mainstream, …