From vitamins and minerals with the arrival of the warm season, to Omega-3 to the boom in probiotics. In the last year, according to a recent study by the Future Concept Lab, almost 30 million Italian adults (73% of those interviewed) have used food supplements at least once and more than 8 out of 10 Italians (83%) have used them during their lives. These are the data illustrated at the presentation of the latest edition of the Review “Food supplements: state of the art and new scientific evidence”, promoted by Integratori & Salute – which represents the main Italian food supplement companies and is part of Unione italiana Food – with the contribution of Passoni Editore.
It is not a ‘do-it-yourself’ consumption. Before buying a food supplement, Italians rely on the advice of health professionals: first of all the doctor (48.4%), then the pharmacist (36.3%). Our country is the European leader in the supplement market, also for innovation and know-how. According to an elaboration by Unione italiana food on New Line data, in 2023 the sector’s turnover reached 4 billion 545 million euros and sales in quantity exceeded 299 thousand tons. Italy is the first European market with a share of 26% of the total turnover, followed by Germany (19%) and France (15%).
The most prevalent sales channel remains that of pharmacies, with a value of 3,538 million euros, equal to 77.9% of the total, followed at a great distance by large-scale distribution (7.7%), parapharmacies (7.6%), and the online channel (6.9%). In pharmacies, the most purchased products are confirmed as “probiotics”: with 537.3 million euros, they represent a 15.2% share of the market. In second place are “mineral salts”, with 335.2 million euros (9.2%, +2.7% on 2022). In third and fourth place are “vitamins” and “tonics”, with shares above 6%.
The review, the result of the collaboration of a pool of Italian experts on the topics of nutrition and health, has examined in depth the most significant discoveries of experimental and clinical research on the role of food supplements, from the beneficial effects associated with the consumption of an adequate intake of vitamins and minerals to the support given by Omega-3 for the health of pregnant women and the elderly, up to the role of supplementation with probiotics for well-being in the various stages of life and the performance of athletes.
“We hope that this new Review can represent a valid tool for serious, correct and evidence-based scientific dissemination – comments Germano Scarpa, president of Integratori & Salute – As we have been used to reiterating for years now, we maintain that the main function of food supplements is to have a metabolic effect to keep our physiological system efficient.
“In Italy, the food supplement sector is highly regulated and innovative – says Arrigo Cicero, president of the Italian Society of Nutraceutics (Sinut), who oversaw the introduction of the review – and stands out for its high quality standards and advanced and continuous research. This market is also supported by the fact that the main companies in the sector invest in medical-scientific information on their products with networks of professionals dedicated to updating healthcare professionals potentially interested in this field. The consumption of supplements is not an uncontrolled consumerist fad, but is a path guided by experts: pharmacists and doctors are in fact the main sources of information that consumers turn to”.
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