“The vitamin D market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.0% in terms of value.The key drivers include increasing adoption of vitamin D foods and dietary supplements to prevent joint and bone health related problems”

The vitamin D market is estimated at USD 1.1 billion in 2020 and projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.0%, to reach USD 1.6 billion by 2025. The vitamin D market is driven by the growth in awareness of vitamin D deficiency, a rise in incidences of osteoporosis in women, and an increase in cases of malnutrition in children. The rising number of government initiatives and awareness campaigns is expected to create new growth opportunities for the growth of the vitamin D market.

The scarcity of ingredients, coupled with the high cost, are the major restraints of the market. There are very few natural foods that provide vitamin D, increasing the risk of deficiency of vitamin D among the consumers. Vitamin D and several other vitamins face the problem of raw material unavailability, as a result of which there is an increase in the price. This high price stands to be one of the biggest challenges for the growth of sales of vitamins.

“Impact of COVID-19 on the current market size and forecast”

Covid-19 is expected to boost the demand at a much higher rate for vitamin D ingredients in the global market. Several clinical studies and researches are being carried out with regard to identifying a significant correlation between Covid-19 and vitamin D. For instance, a study was carried out by North-western University and published on 7th of May 2020, in which the researchers concluded that vitamin D strengthens innateimmunity and prevents overactive immune responses. Its trials and test results prove that patients with severe deficiency of vitamin D are twice as likely to face major complications. Vitamin D plays a vital role not just in enhancing the human innate immune systems, but also prevents the immune system from becoming dangerously overactive. As a result of which, having healthy levels of vitamin D helps the patient against severe complications, including death, from Covid-19. Thus, this Covid-19 pandemic is expected to boost the demand for vitamin D at a much higher rate in the global market. However, disruption of global logistics and supply chain can be a restraint for this market.

“Market dynamics – Drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges”

Driver: Increase in the prevalence of vitamin D deficiencies.

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiencies in several countries is one of the major factors fueling the growth of the vitamin D market. According to the estimates of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in 8% of Americans. Deficiency of vitamin D causes rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults. It has also been associated with common cancers, hypertension, and infectious diseases. Children need vitamin D for the development of skeletal structure and tooth enamel.The deficiency of vitamin D in infants can have adverse consequences such as growth failure, lethargy,irritability, rickets, and a predisposition to respiratory infections during infancy.

According to a survey published in Biomed Central Journal 2012, 160 among 293 participants were aware of vitamin D and its health benefits. Globally, there has been a significant rise in the number of people suffering from chronic diseases. This has led to people becoming more conscious of their eating patterns.Consumers are also looking for options that provide the right combination of health benefits, nutrition, and palatability.

Restraint: Scarcity of ingredients coupled with high costs.

Sun exposure is the major source of vitamin D; however, due to changing lifestyles, people are not getting an adequate amount of exposure to the sun. There are very few natural foods that provide vitamin D,increasing the risk of deficiency of vitamin D among consumers. Vitamin D and several other vitamins face the problem of raw material unavailability as a result of which there is an increase in the price. This high price stands to be one of the biggest challenges for the growth of sales of vitamins. The vitamin D market remains one of the most volatile markets with regard to prices. Thus, any fluctuation in the availability of raw materials can affect the pricing; the volatile prices stand as the major challenging factor in the growth of the vitamins market.

Opportunity: Increase in demand for feed fortification.

Optimal vitamin levels in animal feed are of prime importance to ensure optimal maintenance of animal health, which makes them important ingredients in animal compound feed and feed premixes.Manufacturers are offering a wide variety of vitamin premixes that are specifically formulated for each animal species to promote their growth and performance. The livestock sector is witnessed to be rapidly growing to meet the increasing global demand for high-value animal products. Due to this increased awareness, consumers give more importance to the texture, color,and flavor of meat and meat products. There has been a rise in the consumption and production of meat,especially in industrialized countries such as the US, supported by factors such as lower prices of beef,pork, and poultry; increased focused on the shelf life, quality, and safety of meat products; and the rise in per capita consumption of meat. These factors are showing a positive outlook for the lucrative vitamin market.

Challenge: Regulatory factors & standardization.

Several regulatory standards have been proposed and enforced globally to prevent excessive consumption of vitamin D. For instance, according to FDA standards, vitamin D falls under the category of generally recognized as safe (GRAS) regulations (172.380; 184.1950) regarding the foods that may be fortified.The US government limited the indiscriminate addition of nutrients to foods and the fortification of fresh produce: meat, poultry, or fish products. In European countries, fortification of unprocessed foods is prohibited. Moreover, in the UK, fortification of vitamin D in milk is restricted as non-synthesized milk,which is marketed in the country, claims to maintain the natural vitamin D content of the product. Such standardizations and regulatory factors challenge the trade and usage of vitamin D in the food industry and, consequently, in the overall market.

“The children segment for vitamin D is estimated to be the fastest growing segment of the vitamin D market during the forecast period in between 2020 and 2025”

Based on end user, the children segment is estimated to be the fastest-growing during the forecast period. Rickets is a disease mostly found in children, caused due to a deficiency of vitamin D. It affects the development of bones and causes soft, weak bones. This disease is prevalent among children in the age group of 3 to 18 months. Inadequate levels of sunlight exposure, skin pigmentation, immobility, birth to a vitamin D-deficient mother, mal absorption, and low intake of foods containing vitamin D are the various factors that lead to its deficiency.

Vitamin D helps ensure that the body absorbs and retains calcium and phosphorus, both critical for building bone tissue. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets, which continues to be reported in the US, mostly in children in the first two years of life. Infants who are exclusively breastfed do not receive daily vitamin D supplements and are at the greatest risk for rickets.

“The 40 MIU segment is projected to be the fastest-growing during the forecast period”

Based on IU strength, the 40 MIU segment is projected to be the fastest-growing during the forecast period. Vitamin D3 40 MIU is also referred to as “vitamin D3 crystalline” and has a potency of 40 million international units per gram, the highest potency of vitamin D3. The product is majorly a white crystalline powder. Vitamin D3 of 500,000 IU is a free-flowing powder form of vitamin D3, which has a potency of 500,000 IU/gram and is practically insoluble in water. The vitamin D of 500,000 IU is majorly consumed in feed products. The 40 MIU type has a wide application in the pharmaceuticals segment and is therefore projected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period in between 2020 and 2025.

“Europe is a key region in the vitamin D marker accounting for the second-largest share in 2020”

Europe is estimated to account for the second-largest share in the vitamin D market in 2020. Health awareness among European customers is high; they are conscious of the supplements and ingredients they consume, and hence, choose products carefully. The demand for supplements of vitamin D in the region continues to persist, without compromise on taste, which is encouraging food manufacturers to develop innovative and new products. These factors are contributing to the growth of the vitamin D market in the country.

In addition, consumer awareness about the benefits and functionalities of various nutrients such as vitamins is projected to reflect positively on the market growth. This high level of awareness has resulted in the demand for low-calorie, low-fat, and nutrient-rich food products to be consumed in the European region. Food & beverage companies are innovating to develop such products to cater to consumer demand. Further, the increasing health awareness related to bones such as osteoporosis is driving the market for vitamin D in Europe.

Break-up of Primaries:

• By Value Chain: Manufacturers- 64% and Suppliers – 36%
• By Designation: CXOs- 45%, Managers- 33%,and Executives-22%
• By Country: US- 30%, China- 20%, India – 20%, Japan – 10%, France – 10%, and Germany – 10%

Leading players profiled in this report:

• Koninkljike DSM N.V (The Netherlands)
• Zhejiang Garden Biochemical High-Tech Co Ltd (China)
• Zhejiang Xinhecheng Co Ltd (China)
• Fermenta Biotech Ltd (India)
• BASF SE (Germany)
• Xiamen Jindawei Vitamin Co Ltd (China)
• Dishman Group (India)
• Taizhou Haisheng Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (China)
• Zhejiang Medicine Co Ltd (China)
• Glanbia PLC (Ireland)
• PHW Group (Germany)
• Bio-TechPharmacal (US)
• Divi’s Nutraceutical (India)
• Synthesia (CZE)
• Hangzhou Think Chemical Co Ltd (China)
• Sichuan NeijiangHuixin Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (China)
• Kingdom Nutrition Inc (US)
• McKinley Resources Inc (Texas)
• New Gen Pharma Inc (US)
• Taizhou Hisound Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (China)
• Pharmavit (The Netherlands)
• Tocris Bioscience (UK)
• Lycored (Israel)
• Stabicoat Vitamins (India)
• Spectrum Chemical Mfg Corp (US)

Research Coverage:

The report segments the vitamin D market on the basis of analog, form, application,end user, Iu strength, and region. In terms of insights, this report focuses on various levels of analyses—the competitive landscape,end-use analysis, and company profiles—which together comprise and discuss views on the emerging & high-growth segments of the global vitamin D market, high-growth regions, countries, government initiatives, drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges.

Reasons to buy this report:

• To get a comprehensive overview of the highly growing vitamin D market
• To gain wide-ranging information about the top players in this industry, their product portfolios, and key strategies adopted by them
• To gain insights about the major countries/regions in which the vitamin D market is flourishing

Frequently asked questions (FAQ):

• Which countries are considered in the European region?
• Does this report cover volume table along with value tables?
• Could please elaborate on Covid-19 analysis, region-wise?