Times Network India Health Summit & Awards 2025: Experts Urge Honest Messaging and Scientific Validation in Nutraceutical Industry

Speaking at the Times Network India Health Summit and Awards 2025, Dr Ananya Awasthi, Founder and Director, Anuvaad Solutions, urged the Neutraceutical companies to focus on branding their products as not

medicines but supplements, which should have scientific validation. “It is important to brand what nutraceuticals are; they are not medicines, they are not replacements for your healthy diet, but yes, they are supplements which need to be consumed by the population,” she said. Nutraceuticals are health-focused products that combine elements of food and medicine, like dietary supplements, herbal remedies, and functional foods, to provide benefits beyond basic nutrition and help prevent disease. These companies specialize in developing, formulating, and producing scientifically based products with therapeutic value, operating in the space between the food and pharmaceutical industries. According to experts, nutraceuticals are nutrient-rich and have medically active properties that offer significant health benefits like disease prevention and treatment. While the global nutraceuticals market is valued at more than $520 billion and is growing at 8 to 9 percent, Asia Pacific – considered the world’s largest nutraceuticals market – is seeing a growth of 8.8 percent. In India, the market is valued at $8 billion and is growing at 11 per cent CAGR. However, according to Dr Awasthi, there is a need for robust research and development by the government in nutraceuticals to make it scientifically viable as well. “The government needs to invest in a lot of R&D. Ayurveda is one area where consumer demand is more than the amount of investment that has been made to scientifically validate a lot of these products because once that has been done, it not only benefits the domestic consumer market but also the export market,” she said. Dr Meenakshi Singh, Chief Scientist, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, called for increasing partnerships with industry leaders to get more investment. “We can use databases where all our traditional knowledge is kept. We can also seek a partnership with the industry, which can invest more in this area,” she said. Nutraceuticals are classified into three subsegments:

Vitamins, minerals, and supplements

These come in various forms like pills, capsules, tablets, powders, or liquids, aiming to supplement one’s diet with nutrients sourced from food or synthetics.

Functional foods

Functional foods are whole, fortified, enhanced, or enriched products that include items like milk, low glycemic index rice, and fortified atta, offering nutritional benefits beyond basic sustenance.

Functional beverages

Ready-to-drink or powdered nutrition beverages are enriched with vitamins and minerals, addressing specific health concerns like micronutrient deficiencies. Examples include energy drinks, probiotic beverages, protein drinks, and meal replacement shakes. Dr Singh said nutraceuticals are slowly evolving beyond curative care to address a broader range of health goals, which include preventive health and holistic well-being. This shift is driven by consumers’ growing awareness, rising non-communicable diseases, and higher healthcare costs.