Until recently, bearing the costs of international expansion dictated access to global markets – a privilege reserved only for certain industries and business groups. With the advent of globalisation, we have witnessed a dramatic change, with companies now growing and conquering the world in record time. Today, scalability is a fundamental aspect of any growth strategy.
However, not all markets or companies grow and expand at the same pace. Numerous factors affect the ability to scale globally, and some sectors are better at seizing opportunities than others. This blog article analyses the nutraceuticals market and its impressive rate of growth from a low rumble in the early 1990s to a fruitful boom by the turn of the century. We also discuss the critical role of product adaptation and content localisation and their key function for businesses aiming for global expansion.
The state of the nutraceuticals market
Between 1999 and 2000, the global nutraceuticals market grew at an annual average growth rate (AAGR) of 7.3%. Over the following decade, this figure doubled to 14.7%. In 2024, the value of the global nutraceuticals market is estimated at over USD 420 billion and, in its energetic state of growth, is forecasted to double in value before 2031.
Cast aside at the introduction of modern medicine, natural organic remedies have now been rediscovered, taking root in local communities once more. Emerging as a welcome alternative to expensive modern healthcare, figures on increased life expectancy and the global pandemic have only stimulated sales further. And in the last few decades, advancing technologies have accelerated the development and efficacy of these natural resources.
Yet, introducing a product to the healthcare market presents a quagmire of challenges, especially when taking your product from a local audience to an international one. Localising essential product information can prove a crucial mechanism in achieving your brand’s international potential by communicating your product materials, packaging, website content and marketing materials accurately and effectively.
So, what is the nutraceuticals market?
The nutraceuticals market encompasses a variety of foods that offer medicinal or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease. Largely viewed as complementary medicines, functional foods and beverages may take the form of vitamin and dietary supplements or fortified drink and meal components, boasting therapeutic properties owing to their high mineral content and antioxidant activity.
The reach of these functional foods is vast, as they not only have medicinal qualities, but also enhance nutrition in probiotic foods and drinks, promoting growth, offering meal substitutes and aiding sport performance. They may support and boost nutrient content in cereals, wholegrains, milk, milk alternatives and in ‘energy’ bars and drinks; think omega-3 and folic acids, green tea, cod liver oil and ginseng.
When manufactured correctly, nutraceuticals offer a combatant in the battle against ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and a comrade in the growing trend of holistic approaches used to treat common but deadly diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease.
Medicine, meditation and market growth
In the last decade, increased consumer awareness about healthy living has contributed to a wave of wellness. The nutraceuticals market is a fundamental component of the USD 1.8 trillion global wellness market in 2024. Somewhere between mindfulness and fitness trends, enlightened consumers have made a hearty push towards natural and organic nutrition, and the figures support this. Since 2016, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nutraceuticals is estimated at 7.2% per year and, by 2023, the market was valued at approximately USD 420 billion.
Despite Europe containing some of the biggest names in the nutraceuticals industry and the USA being the most advanced market in terms of product offerings, the Asia Pacific region currently has the fastest growing market. Driving factors across continents are a combination of consumer preference and external factors. These include proactive consumer attitudes, increased awareness about health, greater disposable income, increasing healthcare costs, ageing populations and post-pandemic health concerns.
Techy treatment
Technology has proven a vital catalyst for the marketing and consumption of nutraceuticals. The accessibility and omnipresence of the internet presents the buyer with information to tailor their functional food choice. In addition to widely available professional advice online, the application of nanotechnologies has improved the biological efficacy and physicochemical stability of nutraceuticals.
Through methods of nanoencapsulation, 3D printing and congealed spray-dry technology (to name just a few), food grade can be enhanced, and consumers can expect better consistency and sustainability in their bespoke healthcare products. An increasingly personalised supplement selection shows greater progression in treatment and healthcare plans, making general-purpose care an increasingly foreign concept.
Subscription, not prescription
Several years ago, Nestle Health Science harnessed this concept of personalised healthcare by launching a subscription service for their nutritional science-backed products. Subscribers benefit from a customised product selection based on their lifestyle, allowing them to be offered food and dietary supplements unique to their needs and accessible without a prescription.
However, in the past, misleading market activities led to consumer distrust. Functional foods have often flown below the radar of regulations associated with normal medical and pharmaceutical products. In 1991, Japan became the first country to regulate its food supplements by establishing ‘Food for Specified Health Use’ (FOSHU), a system created to approve ‘statements concerning the effects of food on the human body’. More than a formality, producing accurate and clear information increases consumer knowledge and reduces risks related to toxicity and drug interactions.
In the United States, dietary supplements are regulated as food items by the FDA. Similarly, in Europe, supplements are also recognised as foodstuffs, where responsibility for product safety rests with the business operator. Some countries take a more individual approach to these products. For example, India and Canada sub-categorise their nutraceuticals by distinguishing their special composition which governs how they are regulated.
The reality is that regulatory landscapes are predictably uneven when crossing borders. The nutraceuticals market is no exception. Although sidestepping prescription and testing requirements in many countries, businesses should be wary of the differences that exist in regulations and how these food supplements are defined. Nutraceuticals merchants should hold their prospective clients at the heart of their sales and understand the responsibility that comes with selling healthcare-related products and sharing product information, which should reach consumers accurately and transparently.
Localise your nutraceuticals product content
The nutraceuticals market is made complex by the origins of its produce. Foods harvested for their super components are found in all corners of the globe, then traded internationally. For example, in traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng was used to treat insomnia, palpitations and anorexia, while native Americans bashed and brewed the shrub to treat indigestion, headaches and infertility. In modern medicine, the bioactive elements of this root continue to be utilised to treat symptoms associated with a host of illnesses across Asia, North America and beyond.
Given the market’s global reach, correctly delivering culturally appropriate information and nutritional guidance is essential. Consumer product knowledge has been a determinant in decision-making behaviour for decades and studies have proven that an individual’s nutritional knowledge of a product influences both their intent to buy and consume.
Furthermore, providing accurate and localised product information is made an even easier choice when the risks associated with the sale of healthcare products are considered. For example, the overconsumption of vitamins by those who do not suffer from a vitamin deficiency can lead to side effects such as impaired eye function, diarrhoea, bleeding, photosensitivity and neurotoxicity. For these products to be used responsibly, companies that sell them must also take on the responsibility of providing comprehensible product information through localisation.
Multilingual communication for the nutraceuticals market
Whether you’re connecting with new audiences who may use your product differently or communicating nutritional guides, warnings and marketing materials, we recognise the responsibility involved in accurately localising essential product information.
Ensuring product information remains as accurate to each audience means employing experts to localise content into their native language. At Sandberg, our subject-matter experts safely handle over five million words in the life sciences field every year. Amongst our pool of professionals, we also have experts on hand to offer market-specific copy-writing, transcreation and international SEO services to adapt your content appropriately and capture the culture familiar to your target audience.
Sandberg is an ISO 17100 and ISO 18587 compliant language service provider, and our multi-stage quality-assurance process means your product not only carries the rigour of an internationally recognised standard but also signals to consumers that your company is committed to ensuring your product has been considered as conscientiously as the care it offers.
As you scale up internationally in this industry, efficient workflows are not just a necessity but a key differentiator that drives success and profitability. We provide cost-effective localisation solutions through the implementation of technologies such as translation memories and machine translation. Our ability to communicate efficiently and navigate quick turnaround times while still prioritising quality and accuracy means you can have full confidence in your content.
You’ve taken the time to develop a product which you believe can help people, so why miss out on communicating this to them as safely and accurately as possible? Localisation is the answer to building strong connections with new audiences across the globe, especially in a rapidly growing, global and sensitive market like nutraceuticals.
