Vitamins, Diet and Sports Nutrition

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition and the American Herbal Products Association on Monday announced a cooperative advocacy effort for June 21. The event will bring together industry executives from across the country to visit with Congressional members and their staff to discuss the benefits of dietary supplements and functional food, the importance of industry’s products to their constituents' health and wellness and the economic impact of the industry.

Protein bars have been flying off the shelves in mass outlets lately. Sales of nutritional bars were up 3.4% to $2.4 billion for the 52 weeks ended April 16, according to IRI across total U.S. multi-outlets.

Supplements are providing the perfect complement to drug store retailers’ bottom lines. Including meal replacement bars, energy shots, protein shakes and diet aids, sales of dietary supplements and nutrition-packed products across the supplement aisle continued to grow at a healthy 4.7% clip with more than $13.4 billion in sales across total U.S. multi-outlets for the 52 weeks ended April 16, according to the latest IRI data.

The combined one- and two-letter vitamins and vitamin, herbal and mineral supplement categories saw an all outlet (total U.S.) growth of 3% for the last 12 months versus the year-ago period, yet the food channel delivered gains of 4% while the drug channel lagged at 2%. Key drivers in drug were VHMS (up 3.4%), followed by one- and two-letter vitamins (up 2.7%). In the food channel, multivitamins gained just 2%, while both VHMS and one- and two-letter vitamins increased 4% and 5%, respectively. (Figure 1)

One year after the project was formally announced, the Council for Responsible Nutrition’s Supplement OWL initiative became a reality this spring when the online product registry went live. A resource for regulators, retailers and the industry, the OWL is an industry-wide, self-regulatory initiative that will help create a rich and more complete picture of the marketplace, and can be accessed by anyone.

CHATSWORTH, Calif. — Natrol on Monday introduced a new supplement for brain health, Natrol Cognium. Backed by nine human clinical studies, the active ingredient in Natrol Cognium has shown statistically significant improvements in memory and cognition in as little as four weeks, Natrol reported.

Sales of vitamins and supplements are generally 10 times greater across large retail chain outlets, including all major food, drug and mass retailers, as compared to specialty outlets. While sales through specialty channels are not nearly as great, the fact remains that the growth trends tracked through those channels, ranging from natural grocers to gourmet wellness stores, are great harbingers of what might soon be best-selling categories within mass outlets.