The German multinational company conducted a global survey across 10 countries, gathering insights from 8,500 individuals of child-bearing age, those planning for a baby, already pregnant, or breastfeeding.
The research aimed to explore consumer awareness, beliefs, and practices around the “first 1000 days” in a child’s development – but results highlighted significant gaps in knowledge around parental nutrition’s impact on early childhood development.
For instance, 60% of respondents reported not realizing that parental nutrition affects a baby’s growth during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and 55% reported never receiving guidance on essential dietary changes.
Nearly half the participants (48%) expressed a desire for more advice from healthcare professionals on diet and lifestyle modifications.
Additionally, 75% were unaware of the role a father’s diet plays in sperm quality, and 46% incorrectly believed that only women need to prepare their bodies for conception.
In terms of cultural misconceptions, 50% believed pregnant mothers should “eat for two,” and 46% did not understand the importance of nutrition while breastfeeding.
However, 51% indicated they would improve their diets after learning more about the first 1000 days, underscoring the potential for positive change through increased awareness and support.
According to data provided for NutraIngredients by Euromonitor International, there is a potential trend of increased consumer focus on prenatal health.
In 2019, the retail value of pregnancy multivitamins globally was $1,227.9 million USD, but by 2024, this value rose to $1,629.8 million.
Trends in maternal supplements
A recent population-representative survey conducted in Vancouver, Canada, examined dietary supplement use among 500 individuals who were either pregnant or trying to conceive.
Results showed that 90% of participants took prenatal multivitamins on a daily basis, mostly meeting recommended intakes for many vitamins and minerals through supplementation, except for calcium, magnesium, and choline, which remained below perinatal recommendations.
Specifically, supplement doses for calcium, magnesium, and choline were substantially lower than recommended, suggesting potential gaps in these nutrients.
In contrast, the researchers found that folate supplementation was high, with 70% of participants taking doses at or above the tolerable upper intake level of 1000 µg.
Folate supplementation during pregnancy is generally recommended to prevent neural tube defects, but excessive intake can mask vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms, raise potential cancer risks, disrupt nutrient balance, and interfere with metabolism.
Pediatric supplements outpace maternal multivitamins
According to the Euromonitor International data, pediatric vitamins and dietary supplements are more popular in terms ofglobal retail value than maternal multivitamins.
The global market for pediatric vitamins and dietary supplements is projected to grow from $4,717.9 million in 2019 to $6,984.2 million in 2024, representing a 48% growth with an 8.2% CAGR.
Asia Pacific is expected to experience the highest growth in absolute terms, with its market expanding from $ 3,056.2 million in 2019 to $ 4,779.9 million in 2024, representing a 56.4% increase and a 9.4% CAGR, making it the fastest-growing region.
Latin America also shows significant growth, with a projected 46% increase and a 7.9% CAGR from 2019 to 2024, and Australasia is another notable region, with a 44.7% growth rate and a 7.7% CAGR, although its market size is relatively smaller.
Eastern Europe and North America are projected to have modest growth, with CAGRs of 5.6% and 5.7%, respectively, and Western Europe has a moderate growth rate with a projected increase of 35.8% and a 6.3% CAGR.
The slower growth regions include the Middle East and Africa, which have the slowest growth rate at 14.7% and the lowest CAGR at 2.8%.