Supplement Sales to Hit $8.5B by 2012: Packaged Facts

NEW YORK—The U.S. market for dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, homeopathics and herbals, should top $8.5 billion by 2012, according to a new study from Packaged Facts. The report, Nutritional Supplements in the U.S., 3rd Edition, examines the market for nutritional supplement products sold through the entire retail spectrum, and projects a 39 percent growth rate for the industry between 2008 and 2012.

“During the past decade, with the massive growth of highly fortified foods, nutraceuticals and functional foods, supplements have been competing directly with foods and beverages,” said Tatjana Meerman, publisher of Packaged Facts. “But increased media attention on obesity and other diet-related health problems has prompted consumers to take more aggressive steps to avert health problems before they occur, and this includes renewed attention to taking their vitamins.”

According to Packaged Facts, the nutritional supplements market grew 5 percent in 2006 and 8 percent in 2007, driven by several factors including the preventive care angle of supplements, the sizeable market demographic of aging Baby Boomers, and increased marketing of targeted supplements. Age-related treatments, gender- and kid-targeted products, and supplements playing off of food and beverage trends are among those the company cites as examples of the target market shift.