The market for food supplements - Belgium

Food supplements are foodstuffs providing a concentrated source of nutrients to supplement the diet, marketed in doses. They may contain various ingredients (vitamins, minerals, plants and herbs ...) and be marketed in various formats (capsules, tablets, powder ...), to meet a wide variety of objectives : fight against stress, fatigue, digestive disorders, slimming, skin beauty, hair beauty, sports performance.. However, they are between food and drugs, not being able to claim a therapeutic action but being recommended, especially by health professionals. The uncertainties surrounding dietary supplements are reinforced by the regular alerts issued by scientific committees on certain components of supplements, which sometimes question their benefits or even denounce cases of side effects. The world market is driven by a growing concern of the populations for their health, further reinforced by the epidemic of Covid-19, which has led to a rebound in sales in many countries, such as Belgium where sales have increased significantly. Like the broader food industry, dietary supplements are now affected by the trends of naturalness and personalization, leaving the door open to new small players coming to position themselves on this market that is renewing itself.