Vitamin Boost: Consumers Taking Their Vitamins, Supplements - Supermarket News

Sales of vitamins have risen steadily in supermarkets over the past year.

Select supplements, like fish oil, vitamin D and calcium are faring particularly well. So are liquid forms of everything from multivitamins to vitamin C with citrus bioflavonoids. Even vitamin E is making a comeback after medical claims of overdose deaths sent shoppers into a scare, retailers told SN.

While sales are up, some stores have noted a slight shift in shopper spending habits from manmade supplements to foods naturally rich in vitamins and minerals â€" and fortified foods â€" as in-store dietitians continue promoting a food-first approach.

“All dietitians recommend that supplements are not a fix for a bad diet, but instead are needed to fill nutrition gaps that may occur,” said Tina Miller (right), healthy living advisor for Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer. 

“Shoppers are very interested in multivitamins in our stores, particularly those that are need-specific like senior vitamins, men’s or women’s. Vitamin D, calcium, vitamin C, glucosamine and probiotics are popular too.”

Meijer shoppers are also into ailment-centric herbal supplements. They frequently ask for cranberry concoctions for urinary tract health, saw palmetto for prostate health, soy for heart health and menopause, garlic for heart health, and ginko for mental alertness, brain health and heart health, said Miller.

The trends at Meijer are indicative of those in most supermarkets. According to figures from SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago-based market research firm, sales of vitamins increased 6.8% to $1.1 billion in grocery stores during the 52 weeks ending March 18, 2012.

Liquid vitamins/minerals experienced the greatest boost with a jump of 16.1% to $103.8 million. Multivitamins rose 2% to $307.8 million, one- and two-letter vitamins were up 8.7% to $194.5 million and mineral supplements also experienced an uptick of 7.4% to $522.7 million.

Liquids have caught consumers’ attention for several reasons, one of which has no medical backing, said Miller.

“Some people believe that liquids are superior quality whole food extracts and are more completely absorbed, but there is no data to support these claims,” she said. “Liquids do work well, however, and are great for those who have difficulty swallowing pills. Most cost two to three times more than capsules though.”

Liquid vitamins in high demand at Meijer include Nature’s Way Liquid manufactured by Alive, Ester-C vitamin C with Bioflavonoids, Twin Labs’ Super B, Natural Vitality Organic Life Vitamins made by Phil Gillham and Drinkables Ultimate Liquid Multi Vitamins in Wild Berry flavor.

At Fresh Encounter, Findlay, Ohio, sales of nearly all types of vitamins have gone up since 2010, said Mike Needler, executive vice president of the chain. Certain items are flying off the shelves at the supermarket’s two stand-alone vitamin and nutraceutical stores called “Apple a Day.”

“Recently, we’ve experienced a significant increase in sales of high-end, holistic or natural multivitamins that have no dyes and are not highly processed, with bonding agents,” said Needler. “Fish oil, krill oil and flax are still going strong too. Coconut oil in pill and liquid forms is also a hot item as studies reveal that it can help slow the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s, lowers triglycerides and can aid in weight loss.”

He said consumers are more educated about the benefits of individual supplements thanks to programs like the “Dr. Oz Show” and “The Doctors.” Skyrocketing health care costs have had an impact on shopping trends as well.

“As consumers encounter increasingly high medical bills, they are turning to vitamins as a means of being proactive rather than reactive,” he said. “They’re spending a little on vitamins now vs. a lot on doctor bills later.”

Prevention is a top priority for people purchasing from FreshDirect, an online, home-delivery retailer based in New York City. Fish oil and flax oil are two of the biggest sellers there.

Maggie Moon, corporate nutritionist for FreshDirect, believes that these sales trends are directly related to ongoing research on the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.

“We also do well with prevention-minded vitamins such as basic multivitamins, Airborne and Flinstones gummies,” she said. “This points to a welcome shift in shoppers’ interests in wellness over cure. They’re understanding that vitamin supplements are most useful when they provide nutrients that can be challenging to get from foods in our regular diet.”

Moon cited vitamin D, folic acid and plant sterols as examples of what people most commonly need to complement their daily food consumption. Plant stanols and sterols are in such high demand that even CPG manufacturer Procter & Gamble has gotten in on the action.

The company’s Next Chapter line includes Zyflamend, a proprietary blend of 10 botanicals sold as an anti-inflammatory item. Along with multivitamins, Zyflamend is one of the current top-selling SKUs made by P&G.