1.1 Definition and scope of the study

A food supplement is any foodstuff whose purpose is to supplement the normal diet. It is a concentrated source of a vitamin, mineral or other substance with a nutritional or physiological effect.

Food supplements are situated between nourishing food and healing medicine. Their effects mainly refer to three axes: filling nutritional deficiencies (anemia, for example), eliminating or alleviating everyday discomforts (difficulty falling asleep, for example) and preventing and maintaining good health (by reducing cholesterol, for example).

There are several types of natural or synthetic food supplements, the main ones being:

vitamins: A, B, C, D
mutlivitamin preparations
substances with nutritional or physiological purposes: caffeine, glucosamine, omega-3, amino acids
minerals: calcium, magnesium
plants or plant preparations: valerian, hawthorn, harpagophytum
ingredients of animal origin: royal jelly, propolis, fish oils
ferments and yeasts: probiotics, brewer's yeast

Not included are prescription drugs and preparations that are not explicitly food supplements.

Dietary supplements are marketed in dose form, such as pills, tablets, capsules, liquids, tablets or powders.

The global dietary supplements market was worth USD 153 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR (combined annual growth rate) of 8.4% until 2030. The global market is driven by a growing concern for people's health, further enhanced by the Covid-19 epidemic that has led to a rebound in sales in many countries. However, the effects and implications of dietary supplements are regularly discussed and the regulation of dietary supplements is currently under debate.

In the UK, the dietary supplements market has been growing steadily for many years - the market has grown by 40% between 2009 and 2021. This growth is largely driven by the ageing population, the increasing concern of the population for their health, the development of self-medication and the particular success of natural products, including CBD. In the short term, the coronavirus crisis has also led to a rebound in sales of the stores that remained open during the containment.

1.2 A well-focused global market with good growth prospects

PrecedenceResearch estimates the size of the global market at nearly $*** billion in ****. They estimate a CAGR of *.*% per year between **** and **** with the market expected to generate around $*** billion globally in ****, an increase of ***% in * years.

x of the global dietary supplements market World, ****-*****, in billion dollars Source: ****

The global ...

1.3 The British market is growing, driven by the growing concern of the British people for their health

The UK dietary supplements market was estimated to be worth £***.* million in ****. The growth of the market has been very high since **** - its turnover has increased by **% in ** years.[***]. ****, the year of the covid-** health crisis, was an all-time high in terms of turnover.

Size of the UK market for ...

1.4 International trade: a trade deficit

According to the French National Union of Food Supplements, the trade of food supplements is registered under the following HS code:

********: Food preparations, n.e.s., containing by weight *.*% milk fat, *% sucrose or isoglucose, *% glucose or starch

The figures in this section therefore correspond to the trade in this category, ...

1.5 The effect of Covid-19

The graph below describes the search interest for the term "vitamin" based on the number of Google searches on the subject. The results reflect the proportion of searches for a given keyword in a specific region and time period, compared to the region with the highest usage of that keyword (***). Thus, ...

2.1 Consumer profiles: different profiles according to age

Who is buying?

The older consumers get, the more they consume food supplements. Nevertheless, there has been a very strong increase in the proportion of **-** year olds who regularly consume dietary supplements: they were **% in July **** and are **% in January ****.

Consumption of dietary supplements by age United Kingdom, ****, in % Source: ...

2.2 Determinants of demand: the relationship of the British with their health

A preventive effect sought Maintaining good health is the main reason for purchasing food supplements, cited by **.*% of respondents, followed by vitamin deficiencies, cited by **.*% of respondents. The purchase of dietary supplements is therefore generally based on the desire to self-administer preventive health care. More specifically, dietary supplements are often used ...

2.3 Demand trends: sport, natural and CBD

The growth of the sports-related segment

The market of food supplements for sportsmen is a segment of the food supplements market but also a segment of the sports nutrition market. The latter has developed a lot in recent years, driven by the democratization of food supplements that were previously consumed mainly ...

3.1 Value chain of the food supplement industry

The dietary supplements industry includes several stages and several actors, as illustrated below.

Source: ****

In the first stage, ingredient suppliers produce raw materials, namely nutrients, but also flavors or dyes that will compose the food supplements.

From these ingredients, the producers manufacture the food supplements. There are two types of producers: ...

3.2 The production of food supplements

The production of dietary supplements itself includes several stages, the details of which may vary depending on the type of product manufactured[***] :

Reception of ingredients Storage: includes the quarantine of products to be controlled before acceptance, the storage of raw materials, work in progress and finished products as well as buffer ...

3.3 Distribution of food supplements

The survey illustrated below highlights the main distributors of food supplements.

When asked "Where do you buy your supplements?", **.*% of respondents said they buy them in a supermarket or hypermarket, **.*% in a pharmacy, **.*% online and *.*% in a health food store.

In addition, three chains of stores stand out, namely two pharmacy ...

4.1 Typology and prices of food supplements

There are several types of natural or synthetic food supplements :

vitamins: A, B, C, D mutlivitamin preparations substances with nutritional or physiological purposes: caffeine, glucosamine, omega-*, amino acids minerals: calcium, magnesium plants or plant preparations: valerian, hawthorn, harpagophytum ingredients of animal origin: royal jelly, propolis, fish oils ferments and yeasts: probiotics, ...

4.2 Research at the heart of the offer

The role of innovation To stand out, many companies launch their research programs to innovate and create new products. The research concerns not only the ingredients, but also the formulations or the containers. The innovation related to natural, organic and vegan products is particularly developing. Among the innovations of the dietary ...

5.1 Current regulations

Regulations regarding dietary supplements are summarized by the UK Department of Health and Social Care.

Health claims and prohibited ingredients

Many products that are sold freely in other countries are not authorized or are considered drugs in the UK. Before placing the product on the market, it is advisable to contact ...

5.2 Government recommendations

The government provides recommendations on the nutritional intake of the population and recommends them to consume food supplements under certain conditions.

The recommended dietary intake guidelines can be found here.

The recommendations for dietary supplements can be found here.

Among the main recommendations, we can mention :

Taking a daily supplement containing ...