Food supplement market reaches $750 million

The Food Supplement and Nutrition Association (GTBD) organized a press conference hosted by GTBD President Samet Serttaş to raise public awareness about the contribution of food supplements to public nutrition and health, the economic added value created by the production, consumption and export of supplementary foods, and to discuss the sector's goals for 2035. The meeting addressed important issues such as the definition of food supplements, their difference from medicines, the fight against counterfeit products, legal regulations and inspection processes in the sector, and the sector's contribution to the economy and public nutrition and its future. GTBD President Samet Serttaş, who made statements at the meeting, stated that the sector could realize its potential with increased conscious consumption.

Emphasizing the importance of correctly defining food supplements and conveying correct information to consumers, Samet Serttaş, Chairman of the Food Supplement and Nutrition Association, said, "More effective control and public information is essential to prevent counterfeit products. Food supplements are not drugs. They are defined as food and are inspected within this scope. Facilitating access to reliable products and correctly explaining the multi-channel structure is of critical importance for the protection of public health."

"The market in Türkiye is growing but still falls short of its potential"

Sharing sector data at the meeting, Serttaş said, "Between 2013 and 2025, the supplementary food sector grew in double digits and reached 750 million dollars. Behind this growth lies the strong control system established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Trade working together in 2013. With the support of the scientific committees, the ingredient limits used in the products were defined and production standards were increased. In this way, the quality standards of the sector increased and Turkey became an exporter country in supplementary food."

Serttaş, who also emphasized that the annual expenditure per person is still at very low levels, said, "This figure, which is $7.24 in Türkiye, is $121 in Germany and $284 in the US. This difference is due to both a lack of information in the public and a lack of understanding of the important roles that supplements can play in public nutrition. In addition, the lack of sufficient recognition of multi-channel access and limited conscious consumption are among the main factors limiting the market. As GTBD, we aim to increase access to accurate information, ensure that safe products reach wider audiences and explain the multiple sales structure to the public more accurately with the work we do to close this gap."

The results of the "8th Food Supplement Use and Nutritional Habits Measurement" study conducted in collaboration with GTBD and XSight were also shared at the meeting. The study, which was conducted to determine the public's food supplement use, nutritional habits, and knowledge level, was conducted with 600 participants in 12 provinces including Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Edirne, Erzurum, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Izmir, Kayseri, Malatya, Samsun, and Trabzon. The study revealed that awareness and trust in food supplements has increased. 49 percent of the participants answered "Food" to the question "What is a Food Supplement?" asked to determine the level of knowledge about food supplements. While trust in food supplements was 53 percent in the June 2023 period, this rate increased to 59 percent according to the latest study.

We use B12 the most

When participants were asked about the ingredients of food supplements they were aware of, the most well-known ingredient was multivitamins with 51 percent. Multivitamins were followed by vitamins D and C with 48 percent. The research also revealed that women were more aware of vitamin D, multivitamins, beta glucan, collagen and biotin contents than men. The products most used by participants who used food supplements in the last 3 months were vitamin B12, vitamin D and vitamin C, respectively; and the forms they would most prefer were capsules, tablets and water-soluble sachets, respectively.

All sales channels are inspected within the legal framework.

According to the data, consumers trust doctors’ recommendations the most when purchasing food supplements. Doctors are followed by pharmacists, family/friends and dietitians. Consumers’ access to these products is not limited to pharmacies; e-commerce platforms, direct sales companies and chain markets are also important sales channels. GTBD emphasizes that this multiple sales model is legal and offers a beneficial system that is open to inspection in terms of public health.

UAV

Editor: News Center