NMI Identifies the Next Growth Opportunities for Nutritional Supplements

Harleysville, Pa. (August 2006) - The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), the leading provider of strategic consulting, consumer insights and market research services for the health, wellness and sustainability marketplace, today expanded on one of the key trends it has identified as having a significant impact in 2006 (and beyond).

According to NMI's Health & Wellness Trends DatabaseTM, a proprietary database with seven years of trends, the use of condition-specific supplements is outpacing other supplements with five-year compound annual growth of 17%. The most popular condition-specific supplements are those for joint health, heart health and osteoporosis/bone health, among many others. (This condition-specific trend is also manifesting itself in many other consumer packaged goods such as foods, beverages, and personal care products.)

According to Steve French, NMI Managing Partner, "Consumers are, at times, overwhelmed about the plethora of supplements in the marketplace and unaware about the connection of real health benefits to many products. One of the reasons for the continued growth of condition-specific supplements is the fact that consumers are purchasing solutions and benefits, rather than simply nutrients and ingredients. Along with the revitalization of many new supplement innovations and discoveries, which is continuing to drive market growth, consumers are also more likely to be influenced in their purchasing decision by a number of factors such as clinical documentation (68% of American adults want proof). Based on most recent data, this desire for clinical studies shows a remarkable increase and reverses a 5-year downward trend."

Beyond health claim specificity and the increasing role of science, supplement format preferences other than traditional pills are beginning to emerge and also represent growth opportunities. Dissatisfaction with the number of pills consumers are taking along with increased difficulty in swallowing pills (especially among the aging population) has led consumers to indicate they would be interested in a variety of non-traditional supplement formats including chewables, chewing gum, quick-dissolve strips and oral sprays, among others measured in NMI research.




"These new formats can bring new users into the category, drive consumer trial of new products, and even increase compliance rates among current users —- a significant issue to address. Savvy manufacturers will therefore seek to explore new supplement formats and provide the clinical science to back up claims in order to sustain the momentum of condition-specific supplements in the marketplace," says French.



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NMI is a strategic consulting, market research, and business development company specializing in the health, wellness, and sustainable marketplace. For more information on NMI's trend reports, proprietary databases and other services, visit NMI's web site at www.NMIsolutions.com.