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Summary and extracts
1 Market summary
1.1 Definition and presentation
Food supplements include any type of product whose purpose is to supplement one's diet by providing necessary and additional nutrients. According to the European directive - 2002/46/EC - supplements are defined as "food products that are in the form of capsules, tablets, pills and the like."
Among the most popular categories:
- Vitamins, such as D and E
- Minerals, such as calcium and iron
- Specialty products, such as probiotics and glucosamine
Dietary supplements indeed have attributes that can relate the product to nutritional and physiological benefits. They are not identified with pharmaceuticals because their positive impact on the body and mind does not act as therapeutic [ Chamber of Commerce ].
Dietary supplements have shown tremendous growth worldwide, primarily leveraging consumers' progressive focus on health and the global increase in the elderly population.
Western Europe is among the top performers in the sector, with Italy leading the way, counting double-digit value growth from 2009 to 2019, attributable primarily to changing demographics, consumer health awareness, and the availability of nutritional information
Italy is the largest market in Europe and one of the largest in the world, with the aging population being an important driver of this market. During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals began to pay more attention to their personal health and had more time to rebalance and calibrate their diets, leading to exponential growth in some segments of this market.
1.2 A well-focused global market with good growth prospects
The global market for dietary supplements has been estimated at $***.* billion in ****.
The most optimistic forecasts predict a CAGR (***) of *.*% between **** and **** with the market expected to generate about $***.* billion globally by ****.
Size of the global market for dietary supplements World, ****-*****, in billions of dollars Source: ****
Growing awareness of the ...
1.3 The Italian market, a European leader
Western Europe is the third largest region within the dietary supplement market, after Asia and North America. However, the largest share lies exclusively in the hands of three players: Italy boasts the largest dietary supplement market in Europe, more than a quarter of its total, with expectations of close to * billion ...
1.4 Imports and exports
Using the UN Comtrade database, it is complicated to study dietary supplements as a whole because this segment includes a wide variety of products classified under different customs codes. However, it is possible to analyze a part of it and observe, for example, the trade in vitamins and provitamins that make ...
1.5 Impact of Russian-Ukrainian conflict
The outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in February **** led to, among other things, a general increase in the producer price index. This increase also affected the dietary supplements sector. Through analysis of the producer price index for the other food products sector (***), within which dietary supplements fall, an increase of ** points ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Overview of demand
Dietary supplements are substances recommended to accompany one's diet, so they are not specifically identified with either food or medicine. Demand for these product categories is therefore related to personal understanding or available information (***) of the associated effects and one's weight in a balanced diet.
The main factors positively influencing the ...
2.2 Lifestyle and new habits change consumption
Increased stress levels
Dietary supplement intake is closely related to perceived and actual health and well-being. Therefore, the progressively higher proportion of stressed Italians may play an important role in shifting demand. The number of males who reported being stressed is extremely high, * out of **, according to research conducted by ASSOSALUTE ...
2.3 The consumption habits of Italians
**% of the Italian adult population (***) use food and dietary supplements[***]. The reasons for their use can be divided into * major categories:
Prevention (***) Wellness (***) Toning, strengthening and energy (***) Specific care (***)
Use of dietary supplements, by reason Italy, ****, in % Source: ****
In Italy, nearly two-thirds of consumers of dietary supplements consider them safe, while ...
2.4 Why to use dietary supplements
Regarding the reasons for the purchase and use of dietary supplements, nearly * out of * Italians say that supplements are excellent allies of health; the same proportion claims that supplements are a stimulus for dietary improvement and increased physical activity. Finally, * out of * Italians consider dietary supplements functional for maintaining mental and ...
2.5 New trends in demand
The growth of the sports segment
The sports nutrition supplement market is a segment of the dietary supplement market, but also a segment of the sports nutrition market. The latter has particularly developed in recent years, driven by the democratization of dietary supplements, which were previously consumed mainly by professional ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Market organization and dynamics
Until the beginning of the **st century, the dietary supplement market had a well-defined structure. The largest share was in the hands of a few international players - e.g. Pfizer, Bayer, Sanofi - although a considerable part was held by Italian manufacturers - e.g. Aboca, Alfasigma. Recently, radical transformations ...
3.2 Made-in-Italy production
CDMO (***) is a business organizational model, which enables the management of production, development and manufacturing activities of medical products on behalf of third parties.
Thus, we distinguish:
Companies authorized to distribute pharmaceutical products-usually multinational pharmaceutical companies, which outsource functions to CDMO companies. Companies that follow CDMOs to produce and manufacture pharmaceutical ...
3.3 Distribution
Despite the increasing proliferation of distribution channels, leadership seems to remain in the hands of health and beauty specialty retailers-for example, pharmacies. The latter continue to account for an extremely large market share of about **.*%[***].
Supplement market breakdown Italy, ****, percent Source: ****
business to Business
Production and manufacturing take place in another ...
3.4 The dominance of pharmacies
As we saw above, pharmacies hold the absolute majority in terms of distribution in this market, both in terms of value and volume.
However, it is interesting to look at a deeper and more detailed breakdown of this market by segment (***) Pharmacies hold a majority share in terms of value for ...
3.5 Value chain and production
Source: ****
First, ingredient suppliers produce the raw materials, that is, the nutrients, but also the flavorings or colorings that will make up the dietary supplements.
Manufacturers use these ingredients to make dietary supplements. There are two types of manufacturers: processors who supply the supplements to different companies that will market them, ...
4 Supply analysis
4.1 A number of product categories
One variable that can be considered when segmenting the dietary supplement market is product function.
According to Unife there are five categories that can be identified by product function:
Sports Health and wellness Diet Anti-aging Beauty care
A further distinction available concerns the ingredients contained in dietary supplements. Among the most ...
4.2 Supply trends
Personalized nutrition
More and more companies are moving away from the concept of "one size fits all" to improve the customer experience through highly personalized offerings. In the health sector the trend is widely visible, with many existing companies as well as innovative startups addressing this need. [***].
Some newcomers:
US-based Habit ...
4.3 Prices
Per capita spending on dietary supplements among Italians in **** reached about ** euros-the number places Italy in first place. In fact, spending is almost double the average spending in Western European countries [***].
Below are the prices of some of the products on the Italian market:
4.4 Research is at the heart of the offering
The role of innovation To stand out, many companies launch their own research programs to innovate and create new products. Thus, research involves not only ingredients, but also formulations and containers. Innovation in natural, organic and vegan products is particularly on the rise. Innovations in the dietary supplement market include the ...
5 Rules and regulations
5.1 Three levels of legislation
There are three different levels of legislative procedures to follow:
EU regulations Italian legislation Ministry of Health
There are EU regulations for vitamins, minerals and substances used as their sources. In addition, rules regarding the use of substances potentially harmful to consumers' health are also harmonized at the EU level.
According ...
6 Positioning of actors
6.1 Segmentation
- Pfizer
- Sanofi Aventis
- Bayer
- Labocast
- Biofarma
List of charts presented in this market study
- Size of the global market for dietary supplements
- Répartition du marché européen des compléments alimentaires par produit
- Vitamin consumption by type
- Breakdown of the European dietary supplement market, by market share
- Market value of dietary supplements
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the food supplements market | Italy
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