Confused consumers turn to nutritional products in droves

Drug Store News, August 5, 1996 by Mike Troy

I am confused by a number of things. Is there life on other planets? Did Oswald act alone? Am I getting all the nutrients I need from my diet?

What really brought this last issue into focus is confusion about another subject. The federal government says I have a weight problem. Someone my height (six feet, four inches) is supposed to weigh between 156 and 205 pounds depending on his frame size, according to the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments. I weigh around 225, so apparently I'm teetering on the brink of obesity. I am not alone. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention calculates that 33 percent of people 20 and older are overweight. I suppose that figure is accurate if it is based on the same ridiculous scale that indicates I should lose at least 20 pounds to avoid being classified as overweight.

Our country has more than its share of really fat people, but the widespread publicity we have seen lately on studies about the nation's weight problem only confuses people who are already confused about what they should or shouldn't eat. Every day we are given new and sometimes conflicting information about how, if we are careful with what we put in our bodies, we can live active lives until we turn 100.

We have been beat over the head with nutrition news. Some of us are just tired of experts telling us what we should or shouldn't eat. At least half of us are, anyway, according to a study done by the Food Marketing Institute and Prevention magazine. Nearly half of those surveyed said there is so much conflicting information available they don't know what to eat, and three quarter of the respondents said too many foods claim to be healthy.

It has gotten to the point where many people are numb to the advice of experts. We are baffled by the flood of information, and only know it is impossible to obtain from our diets all of the vitamins, minerals and other substances that are good for us. This is a condition known as nutritional insecurity syndrome, and it is a key reason sales of nutritional products are going through the roof, and will continue to do so.

As the nation's population ages, the findings of nutritional research and how supplements can prolong disease-free life will continue to garner extensive media exposure. Drug stores are just beginning to tap into a market that shows no signs of slowing down. All that's lacking for most chains at this point is a greater selection of products for them to become known as a destination. Knowledgeable pharmacists who can articulate product benefits will also help increase sales.

The nutritional products market will continue to grow, and chain drug stores are a logical venue to provide these items. Each chain must decide whether it will be content with its existing double-digit sales gains or whether there's more to be had.