Las Vegas, NV—More than 19,000 registered participants made their way to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for the 2024 SupplySide West tradeshow, which took place from October 28-31. Buyers and suppliers from across the health and nutrition space, including dietary supplement, food, beverage, personal care, pet, and sports nutrition sectors, gathered for the annual event to discuss the latest in products, trends, and innovations. The WholeFoods Magazine team headed out to "Sin City" to make sure that whatever happened in Vegas didn't stay in Vegas!
Key trends for 2025: GLP-1, Women's Wellness
There was a special focus on women's health. Amy Summers, Founder and President of Pitch Publicity and INICIVOX led two Women’s Wellness Walks at the show. Guiding attendees on a unique journey through the bustling trade show floor, Summers spotlighted six companies advancing women’s health research and innovation: Waleria, TCI, AIDP, Cepham, IFF, and Radical Science. The tours showcased each company’s commitment to women’s wellness.
DSHEA @ 30
Another major area of focus was the 30th anniversary of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). In a panel discussed, experts addressed a key question: After 30 years of DSHEA, what now? Retired Senator Tom Harkin reflected on the work that was done to get DSHEA passed: "DSHEA faced really tough opposition, but people in the industry never gave up." Consumers demanded action, and natural products retailers and other in the industry rallied. As for his interest, he shared, "In the 1980s I started to get interested in natural medicine…Around 1988 I started taking bee pollen and all of a sudden my allergies disappeared…I became a proponent of taking different supplements that might help you."
Thirty years later, Sen. Harkin told attendees, DHSEA has been a great success. "This industry has grown seven-fold…. That’s economic progress, that’s employment, and its employment in an area that improves public health." He also shared, "In America we have a sick care system, we don’t heave a health care system…what you [in the natural products industry] are doing is making it easier for people to take charge, to be healthy. DHSEA has empowered people to be healthier."
Sen Harkin also championed The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement, which "exists to inform citizens, inspire creative cooperation, and catalyze change on issues of social justice, fairness, and opportunity." The vision for future success is to build off of Sen. Harkin's legacy as a champion of DSHEA by creating a supplement research program. The Harkin Institute's Nutraceutical and Supplement Research Program will use independent and objective research to build consumer confidence and reward companies that set high standards for health. He invited
Surveying the industry
During the education seesion Pulse check: Uncovering supplement consumer insights and trends, indsutry experts shared insights into the state of the industry. Speakers included Linda Doyle, President and CEO of Avant Nutrition, Len Monheit, CEO pf Industry Transparency Center, Sarah Burden, VP of sales at Radicle Science, and Chris Foltz, Retail strategist at Step Change Innovations.
Monheit reported ITC findings showing concerns related to mental health make up arguably over half of the top 10 health concerns reported by U.S. consumers, each presenting potential opportunities for addressing with supplements as seen by the large gaps in supplement use for a concern and a willingness to use for these concerns, which include mood, sleep issues, stress/anxiety, depression, and low energy. Focusing in on prebiotic users, Monheit said the top three reported health concerns among prebiotic users in the US are mental health concerns.
Doyle shared findings from the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) 2024 Consumer Survey, conducted by Ipsos. The survey revealed that three-quarters of Americans continue to use dietary supplements (this remains in line with last year’s data, demonstrating the ongoing role supplements play in supporting health and wellness). The survey also highlights subtle shifts in product choices, with consumers exploring new specialty products and embracing personalized health solutions. Use of magnesium, prebiotics, and ashwagandha has increased compared to previous years. Magnesium usage rose from 19% in 2023 to 23% of all supplement users in 2024; prebiotic usage grew to 7% of all supplement users, up from 5% last year; ashwagandha reached 8% of supplement users this year, up from 2% in 2020, a four-fold increase in just four years; melatonin is still up from 2020 levels, which were 10%, with 16% of supplement users now taking the sleep aid, making it one of the top specialty supplements looked at by the survey.
Overall, per the CRN survey, spending on supplements is consistent from 2023, with the median monthly expenditure of supplement users at $48 in 2023 and $50 in 2024. This may reflect personal commitments to supplement use despite inflationary pressures. To order the CRN survey, which contains a vast array of additional data visit: www.crnusa.org/2024survey. CRN Members can also access a more detailed PowerPoint presentation of some of the findings at: www.crnusa.org/2024survey/Member-Resource. And in 2025, the survey will be included in CRN membership.
Spotlight on best practices
Also on the education front for the American Botanical Council (ABC) companies discussed ingredient adulteration and their experiences implementing the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulteration Prevention Program Best Practices SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for the Disposal / Destruction of Irreparably Defective Articles (IDAs). The BAPP SOP connects regulatory law with contract law to provide a simple and effective strategy incorporated directly into supply chain agreements, protects all participating parties, and provides measurable return on investment to buyer and seller. Taneesha Routier-Rogers, Director of Regulatory Affairs for Xymogen, Tom Dubinski, VP of Quality Systems for contract manufacturer Arizona Nutritional Supplements (ANS), Stefan Gafner, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer for the American Botanical Council and director of BAPP, and Michael D. Levin, Founder of consultancy Health Business Strategies LLC and principal author of the BAPP SOP, spoke during tthe presentation, “Adulteration in the food, supplement, cosmetic and OTC drug supply chain: Issues, concerns and an ROI-based solution.” The 30-minute video of the complete panel discussion is available for free viewing here.
