Source: LOHAS Weekly Newsletter
Published: Monday, November 01, 1999

SAN FRANCISCO—Soy supplements sales increased a whopping 2,189% in mainstream food, drug and mass-market channels for the 12 months ending August 1999, according to market research firm SPINS, based here.

The soy supplements’ explosive growth is attributable to growing consumer awareness of the heart-health effects of soy isoflavones, as well as the FDA ruling that any food products containing at least 6.25 g of soy protein per serving will be entitled to carry a healthy-heart label. The FDA’s endorsement, SPINS predicts, will further escalate the growth of soy supplements.

According to SPINS, consumer interest in soy also is driving the nondairy beverages sector in mainstream channels. In particular, soy milk is a category that grew at 83.7% in that channel over the 12 months ending in August of this year. Tofu is also getting some spin-off growth because of growing consumer interest in soy and because of increased interest in vegetarianism.

Total soy foods sales for the 12 months ending June 1999 were $494.4 million, $376.5 million of which came from mainstream food, drug, and mass merchandisers.

Another currently hot category in mainstream channels for the same period is “miscellaneous supplements.” This catchall category includes the glucosamine/chondroitin supplements and coenzyme Q-10. Glucosamine/chondroitin sales have jumped 75% in mainstream channels, and coenzyme Q-10 sales have jumped 44.8%. The increases, according to SPINS, more than offset declines for the formerly hot supplements melatonin, off 17.4% in the 12-month period, and DHEA, off 30.8%.

In addition to soy and the miscellaneous supplements, energy bars, organic milk and frozen entrees experienced strong growth for the 12 months ending in August.