The Israeli nutritional supplements market: everything you need to know
Throughout the world and in Israel in particular, the nutritional supplement market is constantly growing. Approximately a third of the Israeli population consumes nutritional supplements.
About 20%-40% of Israelis purchase supplements online, based on estimates from the industry.
Globally, research and rating companies estimate that retail sales of nutritional supplements will reach 280 billion dollars in 2022.
Approximately $100 billion in revenue is generated each year by this market in the United States alone.
Recent Israeli information indicates retail sales totalling over a billion shekels.
There is an annual growth rate of 6% in this category in Israel. In 2022, it was mainly driven by online sales via dozens of dedicated websites owned by major suppliers. Among the current trends in marketing, one is the emphasis and transition of chains to selling through digital appeal to a growing consumer audience and offering an incentive by reducing prices by about 20% or more between the price on the shelf and the online price.
The food additive market in Israel is currently estimated at approximately NIS 160 million per year. According to studies, women consume food supplements more than men, with 64.6% of consumers being women. The most purchased supplements are: vitamin C – 44.5%, multivitamin – 35.6%.
The target audience of food supplement consumers consists of people who are in poor health, people who are under stress, those who feel weak, depressed or tired, chronically ill, suffering from digestive problems, adults and the elderly, babies and pregnant women.
The common estimate in the field is that one out of two Israelis takes nutritional supplements regularly. The most popular of them are omega 3, probiotics, folic acid or coenzyme Q10.
Those products were once the almost exclusive domain of the elderly or pregnant women, and have become a basic consumer product that crosses sectors and ages. The reason for this is that an increasing number of young people are becoming enthusiastic consumers.
Some consume as a result of being aware of nutrition, or of limitations they have imposed on themselves, such as vegetarianism and veganism. Others, as a result of intense sports activity, with an emphasis on the runners in the group. But not only.
Estimates today are that 10% of children and youth in Israel regularly take food supplements.
The reasons for the increase in the consumption of nutritional supplements stem from the changes in the world and lifestyle today:
1. We live in a world saturated with toxins – since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the level of mercury in the atmosphere has increased by thousands of percent compared to what it was a few hundred years ago. And we are talking about only one substance. There are thousands more poisons whose level has increased by hundreds and thousands of percent compared to what it used to be (not so long ago…)!
What we got from food in the past was definitely enough to deal with the load of toxins that was then.
It is difficult to say that what was sufficient for a certain toxic load is also sufficient for a toxic load that is thousands of percent larger.
2. The food we ate in the past was 100% organic – simply because there were no factories producing pesticides and herbicides then. Today, most of us consume food that has pesticide residues on it and/or in it. The industry today uses hundreds of different types of pesticide. These are very toxic substances. They are found in almost every food we buy. So today even natural foods contain additional toxins that were not there before. For people who live near agricultural fields, the spray comes not only through food, but also directly through the air.
3. The quality of the air we inhale decreased – even in small settlements with little traffic there are often high levels of air pollution. Winds that bring air pollution from a distance of tens and hundreds of kilometers are the cause of that.
4. Veganism – it is natural to think that the solution is veganism for the masses. It is not that simple. It is easy to achieve nutritional deficiencies in veganism if it is not carried out correctly and accurately, with self-discipline. It is not easy to live a vegan life without the need for nutritional supplements. It is (almost) not 100% possible. But it is imperative to know what to do and how to do it. The vast majority of vegans do not live a healthy vegan lifestyle. They eat vegan food that is not healthy at all, which increases their risk of nutritional deficiencies.
The “wave” of moving to 100% veganism also carries the potential for nutritional deficiencies and therefore the need for supplementation. Even a vegan who eats healthy food will need nutritional supplements.
There are many problems in the world of nutritional supplements, starting with the choice of raw materials, process of production etc.. There are very high quality additives, there are mediocre ones, there are inefficient ones and there are also some that are not suitable for human consumption. There is no doubt that if the nutritional supplements you purchase are really high quality, produced from high-quality raw materials, contain significant amounts of active ingredients etc., then they will improve your health and reduce the risk of various diseases. Because of this, Israeli consumers tend to buy nutritional supplements from super brands.
As mentioned, the Israeli market has become an attractive destination for nutritional supplement brands in recent years. With the rise of eCommerce, Israeli consumers now have access to a wide variety of nutritional products from around the world.
This has made it easier for brands to reach a larger audience and increase their revenue potential. Moreover, the Israeli government has taken steps to ensure that all imported dietary supplements are safe and meet quality standards. This further increased the appeal of this market to nutritional supplement brands. It also attracted the attention of several large retail chains, including one of the largest marketers in the country;
IHerb is an eCommerce platform that provides health and care products to consumers in Israel. With its wide range of products, iHerb makes it easy for people to access nutritional supplements, vitamins, minerals and other health-related items. This platform is quickly becoming popular among Israeli consumers because it offers high-quality products at competitive prices. Therefore, the company’s international delivery through Gaash Worldwide ensures that its customers will be able to receive their orders on time and have an easy return process. With its growing presence on the Israeli market, iHerb is about to become a major player in the field of eCommerce.
