Up to 71% of consumers in India are taking nutraceuticals, including vitamins, minerals, fibre, Omega capsules and herbs, among others, on a regular basis, a survey conducted by LocalCircles revealed on Monday, February 26. Of these, 69% of them have been consuming some or all of these nutraceuticals without a doctor’s prescription.
The survey highlighted the consumers’ purchasing habits — 68% buys the products offline from local medical or general stores, while the remaining 32% purchases the supplements from online platforms, including e-commerce platforms, online grocery platforms and e-pharmacy platforms among others.
Out of 12,000 respondents, 78% of consumers want the government to cap the prices of supplements like vitamin A, C and other immunity boosters to increase their affordability.
While 69% of individuals consume these nutraceuticals without a doctor's prescription, the remaining 31% consume these products only if prescribed by a qualified doctor.
Many of them are unaware of the quantity that needs to be consumed and the ill-effects of consuming these supplements, the survey report highlighted.
Consumer health products witnessed an increase in market size to ₹1.03 lakh crore till FY21. Of this, the dietary supplement market alone is estimated to be around ₹33,100 crore. India’s plant-based nutraceutical market is also expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% in the period between 2022 and 2027, according to expertmarketresearch.com.
The survey received more than 47,000 responses from consumers across 318 Indian districts. Of these, 62% of respondents were men, while the remaining 38% were women. Out of the total respondents, 45%, 31%, and 24% were from tier 1; tier 2; and tier 3, 4 cities and rural districts, respectively.
The results of the survey come amid the Health Ministry’s proposal to set up a committee headed by the Secretary of Health to bring nutraceuticals and health supplements under the supervision of the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO). Currently, nutraceuticals fall under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which only looks into the quality of the products and not their usage and marketing.
The committee members would include representatives from various key entities such as FSSAI, CDSCO, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Ayush, and the Department of Pharmaceuticals. Following this, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) can regulate the pricing of nutraceuticals, making them more affordable for consumers.
