The Vitamin Business is Thriving

The Vitamin Business is Thriving

Since the onset of the recession, retail has been ice cold
out according to the Nutrition Business Journal, sales of
supplements rose at a 4.9 percent annual rate between
2001- 2008 and should rise 5.8 percent this year.

A $25 billion industry, VMS (vitamins, minerals, supplements)
have benefited from the recent economic cataclysm in a few ways.
First some Americans are focusing more on their health. As they kick
habits that are either bad or expensive (or both), they're smoking less,
buying less soda, and cutting back on calorie-laden treats at Starbucks
and the convenience store. Vitamins and supplements are a key
component of a healthier lifestyle.
VMS sales are also benefitting from one of the most powerful
commercial forces in the history of planet Earth: the baby boomers.
As they get older, the boomers—already a narcissistic bunch—are
growing ever-more obsessed with their health and wellness.
Just as they caused bubbles in marijuana in the 1960s and disco balls
in the 1970s, baby boomers are now causing sales of vitamins to spike.
"We believe that one of the primary trends driving the industry is
consumption by the over-50 demographic, including Baby Boomers …
who seek to improve their health and wellness and treat and
prevent disease and illness,"

Fresh is Best

The truth is that some of what we’re told about health and health
products doesn’t add up.

We are told that liquid nutritional supplements are good for us,
yet nutrients that are suspended in liquid, heat processed and
chemically preserved are nutritionally diminished.