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NBJ reviews the $25 billion U.S. supplement market

Last year's economic implosion didn't offer many silver linings for businesses, but one positive effect of the recession for the U.S. nutrition industry was the spike in consumer interest in dietary supplements. Some predicted that consumers' falling disposable income would hamper dietary supplement sales, but in fact the opposite actually occurred: As more people lost their jobs and ability to pay for healthcare, many turned to supplements to remain healthy and ward off expensive doctor visits and pharmaceutical drugs.

From an overall growth perspective, U.S. consumer sales of dietary supplements lagged behind those of other nutrition industry categories. Yet, of all the categories, supplements was the only one to actually grow more in 2008 than in 2007—which is saying a lot for a relatively mature business in a tough economy. Nutrition Business Journal estimates show that total U.S. consumer sales of dietary supplements expanded 6.2% to $25.2 billion last year. Dietary supplement sales growth was stronger in 2008 than it has been since the late 1990s, and NBJ expects supplement sales to continue growing in 2009 but at a slightly slower pace than in 2008.

Beyond the economy, 2008 proved to be an eventful year for the nutrition industry from a regulatory and news-making perspective, and 2009 is turning out to offer even more of the same. As we move into the second half of this year, dietary supplement firms stand on the precipice of potential change with regard to government legislation and its enforcement and U.S. consumer confidence in the products the industry manufactures, markets and sells.

The 2009 Supplement Business Report includes:

  • Detailed sales quantifications and growth forecasts for NBJ's six supplement subcategories: vitamins, minerals, herbs & botanicals, specialty supplements, meal replacement supplements and sports nutrition supplements

  • NBJ's Top 100 Dietary Supplements in the United States ranked by sales

  • Analysis and forecasts for every distribution channel (mass market retail, natural & specialty retail, multi-level/network marketing, mail order/DRTV, DR radio, practitioner and Internet) in each product category

  • Analysis of competitors throughout the industry, from direct sales to retail, including more than 175 dietary supplement company profiles detailing company sales and product breakdowns

  • *New* for 2009 is the NBJ Bottom Line on 175-plus supplement manufacturers, marketers and distributors, providing succinct commentary on the latest happenings within each firm

  • A review of consumer spending data, including a detailed look at the universe of dietary supplement users in the United States broken out by population of users and non-users and average dollars spent in each individual supplement category

  • A breakdown of 2008 supplement, OTC and prescription sales estimates by 16 specific health conditions, including heart health, cold/flu/immune, joint health, bone health and gastrointestinal health

  • Company case studies and expert interviews with CEOs and thought leaders within the U.S. dietary supplement industry

  • The latest market trends and insights extracted from NBJ's monthly surveys and interviews

  • More than 400 pages of analysis that is simply not duplicated by any market research firm in the United States

Click here to view the Table of Contents and List of Figures.

Click here or contact Chris Lasonde at 303.998.9221 with questions or to order the report.

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