NBJ's Global Supplement & Nutrition Industry Report 2010

Although not immune to the recessionary forces that have pummeled economies around the world, the global nutrition industry continues to grow-with China, Latin America, Australia/New Zealand, Eastern Europe/Russia and the Middle East each achieving double-digit sales expansion in 2008. According to Nutrition Business Journal estimates, total global nutrition industry sales-which NBJ defines as including dietary supplements, natural & organic foods and beverages, functional foods and beverages, and Natural & Organic Personal Care & Household Products (N&OPC)-increased a healthy 8% to $270 billion in 2008. Surprisingly, the 8% increase the global nutrition industry experienced in 2008 was down only slightly compared to the 8.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) the industry achieved between 2001 and 2008. The 2008 growth is even more notable when contrasted to global gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

The factors supporting continued global nutrition industry expansion include an aging worldwide population; the continued spread of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic health ailments linked to poor nutritional habits; a growing consumer embrace of self care and natural therapies to prevent illness; and a burgeoning middle class stretching from Brazil to Ghana to India that has more money and more inclination to spend on health and wellness.

The United States continues to generate the majority of global nutrition sales, with Americans spending the most money per capita on nutrition products. Western Europe and Japan are the No. 2 and No. 3 largest nutrition markets-but Japan could soon be surpassed by China, which is home to a massive and growing middle-class population that is increasingly embracing supplements, natural & organic and other nutrition products. Other attractive developing nutrition markets include Brazil, India and Eastern Europe/Russia.

From a product perspective, the landscape of the global nutrition industry has changed relatively dramatically over the last decade. Specifically, as global interest in natural & organic has soared, the shares of sales represented by natural & organic foods and N&OPC products have grown, while supplements have lost share.

Global supplements sales, which are a primary focus of this report, increased 6% in 2008. The outbreak of the fear-provoking H1N1 flu pandemic, which surfaced in Mexico in April 2009 and touched nearly every country in the world by August, helped to lift sales all over the globe in 2009. The United States and Australia were two countries that also saw a recessionary boost to their supplement sales, as consumers searched for affordable ways to stay healthy and avoid costly doctor visits.

Despite its continued growth and desirable emerging markets, however, the global nutrition industry will face numerous challenges in 2010 and beyond. The one issue perhaps most poised to shape the future of worldwide nutrition industry sales-particularly of dietary supplements and functional ingredients-is the rising tide of regulatory changes sweeping the globe. Whether they operate in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Russia or North America, companies are either dealing with new regulations or awaiting potential changes that could affect everything from the ingredients that can be used in supplements to the health claims that can be made for these products.

NBJ’s Global Supplement & Nutrition Industry Report 2010 addresses these and other issues affecting the worldwide nutrition industry. This 265-page report, which is based on more than 12 years of continuous research and detailed trend analysis for countries and regions spanning six continents, features:

• Consumer sales and growth estimates by country/region for dietary supplements, natural & organic foods and beverages, functional foods and beverages, and N&OPC products
• Breakout sections covering the United States, Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, Switzerland & Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium & Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Japan, and Australia and New Zealand, as well as regional breakdowns for Latin America and Africa
• An analysis of global nutrition dollars spent per capita in the global nutrition industry
• A review of the regulatory issues and potential changes facing each country/region
• An overview of the findings from NBJ’s 2009 Global Nutrition Industry Survey
• Discussion of how the growing global focus on preventive health will impact nutrition and supplement sales
• Interviews with CEOs and thought leaders from global nutrition industry firms and trade associations
• Bonus coverage from sister publication Functional Ingredients magazine