The DSM Global Health Concerns study 2019, a follow-up of DSM’s 2017 study, interviewed 17,000+ consumers across 23 countries and was conducted to identify current health concerns.

Data from this year’s survey shows that energy levels/tiredness is among the biggest issues worrying people around the world. It replaced weight as the number one health concern for consumers in EMEA (67%), compared to DSM’s previous study, and was followed by protection against disease later in life (64%) and eye health (62%). Among parents of children aged under 16 years, almost 70% are most concerned about their child’s immunity, followed by the quality of his or her nutrition – especially for picky eaters – and protection against diseases later in life.

The DSM Global Health Concerns study 2019 was also conducted to quantify awareness and attitudes towards dietary supplement usage. Data shows that there is a significant increase in usage in the EMEA region compared to previous research (37% in 2019 vs 28% in 2017), with products primarily taken to boost health in general (56%), improve the immune system (46%) and increase energy levels (41%).

Meanwhile, the aim of the DSM Naturalness Research study 2019, which interviewed 8,000 consumers from 16 countries worldwide, was to discover what consumers think about naturalness in the context of purchasing food, beverage and dietary supplement products. Results from the study reveal that over 80% of the global population strongly agrees with the statement: ‘natural products are better for me’. In addition, 40% of those interviewed consider that “naturalness” is important when buying a dietary supplement.

Maria Pavlidou, Head of Marketing Communications, Human Nutrition and Health EMEA at DSM said: “Together with DSM’s science-backed customized solutions and scientific expertise, these new findings will help support customers in bringing innovative products, inspired by consumers’ needs, to the marketplace.”