Robust organic sector growth and a resurgent traditional medicine movement were two of the standout trends identified by Natural Products Global editor-in-chief Jim Manson in his keynote talk at this week’s Natural Products Scandinavia event in Malmö.
Developing his talk from news articles, features and commentaries published on the new Diversified’s new global web portal, he identified major trends in key products categories and in retail.
As well as a strong performance from organic, Manson highlighted a worldwide surge in sales of vegan products, noting that veganism is now claimed to be “the biggest lifestyles movement of the 21st century”. Looking at the VMS category, he said that resurgent traditional medicine sectors in China and India were helping drive growth in the wider herbals market. And he added that the supplements sector was undergoing a “partial reinvention” with the result that the boundaries between supplements and food were becoming increasingly blurred.
Manson said specialist natural products retailers would need to find more ways to differentiate themselves as the major multiples push further into the natural and organic space, and he urged them to hold their nerve on price.
Summing up he said that the direction of travel was firmly towards natural and organic, and in taking more personal responsibility for health ad wellbeing. “It means that this industry is in a really good place right now,” he said.
• The full presentation will shortly be available to download at naturalproductsglobal.com