The world mineral salts market

Minerals currently used on the Food market are essentially under the form of salts, and use the following acids: lactate, gluconate and carbonate. Sales of minerals only represent today the third best sale in the health food category, just behind complexes of vitamins/minerals and vitamins alone. Among minerals, calcium is the most developed. In enriched foods (yoghurts, cereals, …) and in food supplements, calcium is one of the most promising mineral with iron and magnesium.

The mineral salts market study consists of 3 different reports:

• Science and innovation in dietary mineral salts: scientific presentation of mineral salts and their nutraceutical and functional properties.
• Market and users report: gives an in-depth analysis of mineral salts with special emphasis on calcium based mineral salts. It presents an estimation of the current market size by type on ingredient and application, identifies key factors driving the market and highlights present and future opportunities. The regulation part reviews the regulation status of mineral salts used into food and food supplements. A point is made on the current “health claims” approved in the different countries, while indicating the necessary conditions to obtain those claims approval.
• Mineral salts suppliers: This report represents an overview of key mineral salts producers’profile by type of salt. It gives a summary of interviews conducted with some companies focused mainly on milk calcium and magnesium chloride market.

The following segmentation details the types of information that will be presented in the report:

UBIC’s approach is based on in-depth interviews with food companies completed by a desk review.

MARKET SIZE

Quantification of the market is based on:

• Primary data coming from desk research;
• Interview with food companies and producers;
• Experts interviews;
• UBIC’s database.

MARKET EXPECTATIONS

UBIC has done a series of interviews towards the industrial clients. Those user interviews give an in-depth appreciation of their needs and expectations in terms of mineral salt usage and purchase. Several major items have been discussed, notably the possible substitution between different type of salts and usage trends.
Main items discussed with companies:

Technical expectations

• Type of mineral salt and support used
• Quality
• Purity, particle size
• Importance of bio-availability
• Formulation constraints (e.g. sedimentation) and taste constraints
• Satisfaction level towards the current supply in mineral salts
• Openness towards the use of new forms of salts

Market constraints

• Price level and elasticity
• Mineral salts consumption and outlooks
• Buying Intentions and consumption volume

Expectations in terms of services towards suppliers

• Technical assistance
• Relation mineral/health: level of research or documentation required to suppliers
• Marketing back-up
• Regulation back-up