The criteria for choosing supplements, a type of health functional food, are changing. In the past, people chose products centered on specific ingredients or benefits; recently, consumers are making it a key standard whether the product helps them understand their health status and manage their lifestyle as well. This shift is emerging as health functional foods combine with digital wellness.
According to the retail industry on the 20th, consumer questions at health functional food stores have changed recently. In the past, many people looked for "supplements good for fatigue," but now more consumers first ask "what should be managed as a priority considering my current health condition." A retail industry official said, "As access to personal health information such as sleep data and activity levels has improved through wearable devices, the trend of using that as a reference to choose health functional foods has become clear."
In line with changes in consumption habits, strategies in the health functional food industry are also shifting. Moving away from age- or gender-centered categories, companies are strengthening personalized strategies that vary product combinations by lifestyle and intake purpose.
Nutrilite, the health functional food brand of Korea Amway, is also targeting this trend. Since 2015, Nutrilite has offered "customized packs" tailored to life stages, and has since expanded personalized management through "My Pack," which individuals assemble themselves, and "miLab," which is based on gut environment analysis.
Recently, it also introduced the digital wellness service "My Wellness Lab," which analyzes health data. The service provides indicators such as rate of aging, chronic disease management level, and muscle balance by comprehensively analyzing blood markers, body measurements, and lifestyle survey data. A Korea Amway official said, "Rather than listing complex figures, we structured it so people can grasp their current status and management priorities at a glance."
Regulatory changes have also influenced the spread of such personalized health functional foods. The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety announced an enforcement rule in Mar. last year introducing the "personalized health functional food system," allowing in-pharmacy repackaged sales. Under this system, related professionals such as pharmacists, physicians, oriental pharmacists, and oriental medicine doctors who complete training and obtain the qualification of "personalized health functional food manager" can, after consultation, sell health functional foods repackaged into single-intake portions.
According to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety, since the system took effect, the number of personalized health functional food retailers has expanded to 663 nationwide. Pharmacies selling personalized health functional foods increased from 181 in Jun. to 578 this month, more than tripling in half a year.
A retail industry official said, "Spending on health functional foods is shifting from 'what to take' to 'how to manage.' The combination of personalized health functional foods and digital wellness symbolizes this change and will establish itself as a major pillar of the market going forward."