Product sales are forecast to increase from $58 billion in 2021 to $116 billion by 2031 as supplement manufacturers see their sales double or triple

Vitamins, minerals, and other halal approved nutraceuticals have seen a dramatic increase in demand as people seek to fortify their immune systems in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

New studies predict that halal nutraceutical product sales will quadruple in the next decade. In July of last year, researchers from Dubai’s Future Market Insights projected that sales of these products will soar from $58 billion in 2021 to $116 billion in 2031. “Adoption of uniform certification for halal products” is cited as a market driver in the research.

A growing and affluent Muslim population, predicted to surpass 2.2 billion by 2050, would increase sales, according to the report. It went on to say that sales will increase due to rising health consciousness regarding halal ingredient quality and an increase in lifestyle-related diseases like diabetes and obesity. The certification organisation Islamic Services of America has called the sector a “booming.” Health and wellness are “becoming a trend among…millennials,” the research claimed, referring to a significant Muslim consumer generation.

According to Shoesb Riaz, operations director at The Halal Trust, UK, an organisation that certifies products and services, situated in Birmingham, demanded halal certification for vitamins and supplements has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic started, as reported by Salaam Gateway.

“Most manufacturers of supplements have seen business double, or triple-digit growth,” he said, adding that Muslim consumers in the UK “are adapting a similar cultural outlook for consumer behaviour as non-Muslim counterparts around wellbeing.” According to Riaz, “people understanding the link between vitamin deficiency and disease” will lead to a prosperous couple of years for the market. According to him: “Muslim community middle classes are increasing [in size and wealth] and they have the option to go to the health store to buy supplements where historically they didn’t have sufficient income levels.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, medical professionals and scientists warned that vitamin D’s immune-boosting properties could help people avoid the virus’s worst effects; this warning “impacted the market greatly,” according to a representative from Future Insights who spoke to Salaam Gateway. “Clinical recommendations have played a key role in impacting consumer preferences,” according to him.

Muslims in the United Kingdom, according to Riaz, are “increasingly disconnected from their historic roots where traditionally herbal remedies would have been relied on.” Therefore, a lot of people are using “products you would find in a high street health shop, such as high dose Vitamin D recommended to fight off COVID-19.” Customers with such preferences are more inclined to purchase halal products.

The representative from Future Insights informed Salaam Gateway that halal nutraceutical sales will be boosted by social media marketing.”Customer reviews are an important aspect that hilps to advertise products by including authentic feedback from the target demographic,” according to him. 

According to Future Market Insights, the UAE is one country that can have a strong sales market. During the course of the projection, this nation was expected to hold the biggest market for halal nutraceuticals. Service for business statistics With a current valuation of $59 million, Statista projects that the national market for vitamins and supplements will increase at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 3.8% by 2025. With a population of 277 million, Indonesia is a potential powerhouse market. In July 2021, the country’s minister of religious affairs issued order number 748, mandating that all health supplements marketed in the country be branded as either halal certified or non-halal. By no later than 2026, this regulation will be considered mandatory.

“Market players are scurrying to get halal certification for the products, which is boosting market demand,” the Fl research observed of Indonesians. Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other non-plant materials (such as fatty acids, probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, isolates, metabolites, and synthetic substances) that can be combined with plants are the elements that food supplements are legally defined as having.

Research from Future Insights indicates that halal nutraceutical product demand “will remain stagnant” in Western nations such as the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and others in Europe. They claimed that non-Muslims in European nations “might restrict the growth” of the halal dietary supplement industry due to the supplement’s expensive production costs and the general public’s ignorance of halal protocols. Because of the “stringent rules” that these jurisdictions have for complying with halal certification techniques, halal certification in the United States and Europe comes at a high price. Because of this, making “halal nutraceuticals…has become an intricate task for manufacturers,” which has led to the manufacturing of “technological advancements, increasing the cost of production.”

Naturally, technological advancements have played a role, as is customary. According to Salaam Gateway’s interview with the Future Insights representative, the halal vitamin business has been growing thanks to the introduction of non-gelatine candies. Some companies that make halal vitamin gummies are Chewwies (based in the UK), Flamingo Supplements (based in the US), and Noor Vitamins (based in the US).

Vitamin supplement use has been associated with a rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes, among other chronic diseases, “in developed economies such as North America and Europe has fuelled demand for gummy vitamins,” he said.

This halal market is growing in importance, and other entrepreneurs have noticed. Duopharma, a Malaysian pharmaceutical company, saw increased sales of its halal nutraceuticals in 2021 as a result of the epidemic. The company’s vitamin C tablet brand, Flavettes, was renamed to highlight skin-friendly qualities. In the next years, the firm hopes to increase its exports to Indonesia and the Philippines, with Vietnam and Thalland also on the list of possible new markets to enter.

Essentials, a halal multi-vitamin and mineral supplement created to address the unfulfilled vitamin and mineral requirements of Mustim women, was launched in 2020 by Blue Angel Farm of the United Arab Emirates. It was approved by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA). One study found that Muslim women in Michigan, USA, may have lower-than-average vitamin D levels due to the fact that their dress blocks out the sun. This finding was made by the Henry Ford Health System.

And in 2021, Swisse, a multivitamin brand based in Australia, introduced their halal-certified Ultivite E-Senital to the Singaporean market. Launching this new product line is part of the company’s strategy to reach more Muslim-majority markets and broaden its selection of halal-certified items.

The item was described as “packed with essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and herbs (and) supports energy level and mental performance and a healthy immune system.” H&H Group, a Hong Kong-listed company, has a stake in the continued strength of the worldwide halal nutraceutical business.