Nils-Gerrit Wunsch
Research expert covering foods trends in North America, Europe, and the global food system
Global dietary supplements and functional foods market - statistics & facts
Former Coca-Cola CEO Bryan Dyson likened health to a glass ball. If you drop it, irreparable damage might be done. Care has to be taken with health while you juggle it and other parts of your life. One of the common ways consumers try to take care of their health is by consuming functional foods and vitamins, minerals, and supplements (VMS). In the United States, the United Kingdom, and China over a dozen different health and health-related reasons are given by consumers of supplements as to why they take VMS products. The leading concerns in these countries are general health followed by heart-related health concerns. Overall, the global vitamins and minerals market is worth 19.5 billion U.S. dollars. Food that supposedly has an additional function is known as functional food. Functional food and drink has a much larger global market size at close to 530 billion U.S. dollars.
Probiotic supplements
Probiotics are live microorganisms taken with food, that come with producers' promises of health benefits. A common claim is the improvement of consumers' digestive health. Probiotics only make up a minor part of the total vitamin, mineral, and supplement market. In fact, they reach less than a quarter of the people who consume VMS products in China, the U.S., and the UK. The probiotics segment, however, still accounts for a total value of 1.8 billion U.S. dollars and is forecast to grow to 3.3 billion U.S. dollars by 2027. The United States is the biggest of all the regional markets for probiotic supplements, followed by Europe. The market in the Asia Pacific region is also sizeable, while markets in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa are minuscule compared to other regions. Globally, probiotics are used primarily for gastrointestinal health applications.China and the U.S. in the global VMS market
The two most prominent markets for vitamins and minerals in the world are the United States and China. The U.S. market revenue falls slightly short of 4.7 billion U.S. dollars and is the second-largest market in the world. The Chinese market only exceeds the U.S. market by 0.2 billion dollars. Both countries are also noteworthy for being the biggest vitamin trade centers. China takes the number one spot as the biggest exporter of vitamins both in export volume and export value. Conversely, the United States is the largest importer of vitamins in both categories. Where consumers differ on these markets is why they use vitamins. Americans are mostly worried about their general health, while Chinese consumers are more concerned with the health of their hearts. Vitamin C is the leading supplement taken by consumers in China, the U.S., and the UK. Omega-3s, fiber, and probiotics are the leading supplements that are not minerals or vitamins.
