Key Product Development Skills for a Career in the Dietary Supplement Industry

Posted by The Garner Group on Oct 20 2017

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The natural health and dietary supplement industry has been on its way up in the past few years. With wider, broader, and larger demographics becoming increasingly interested in natural health products, the demand for innovative supplements has also been on the rise. Recent dietary supplement trends indicate that natural health product development is a career that has huge potential for growth -- so what are the keys to success?

Stay Up-To-Date

The natural health and nutraceutical industry has gotten a lot of consumer interest in a relatively short period of time. In addition to increased confidence brought about by FDA regulation and DSHEA, recent campaigns to improve supply chain transparency in the manufacture of dietary supplements have been a boon to increasing widespread acceptance and use of natural health products. When pursuing a career in the dietary supplement industry, applicants should therefore be on top of all the latest developments, including new materials, ingredients, and technologies. Many product development professionals attend key trade shows, such as SupplySide West, Engredea, and Ingredient Marketplace, in order to identify dietary supplement trends and spark new ideas.

Be Strategic

While coming up with a great idea for an innovative product is a huge part of product development, getting through the actual process of development successfully is just as, or more difficult than idea generation. Not every idea will bear fruit, and pushing a supplement with little demand or hard-to-measure effects to market could result in a flop, and therefore a net loss. Some product development companies use process models such as Stage-Gate to streamline development into cohesive procedures that are uniform between products. Understanding each step of the development process is key in the natural health industry, including knowing when a product is not ready for the next step, or when it’s simply time to move to the next idea.

Know Your Way Around a Lab

Due in large part to FDA regulation and the definition of “dietary supplement” in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, the natural health industry is benefiting from increased levels of clinical substantiation. Prior to the DSHEA, the regulation of dietary supplements was much more lax, leading to untested claims based on third-party research and a poor reputation among consumers for advocating “quack” science. Unfortunately, while unsubstantiated health claims are a thing of the past, shaking off a bad reputation is much harder, and increasing consumer confidence continues to be a main priority of dietary supplement producers. Understanding analytical laboratory testing methods is a key skill to success in the natural health industry. And while consumers are happy to turn to natural products for health improvement, they prefer - even require - that their health be in the hands of professionals. A BS or Master’s degree in chemistry, nutrition, or pharmacology will help achieve that confidence.

 

Pursuing a career in the dietary supplement industry can be exciting, fulfilling, and lucrative, but it is necessary to be in-tune with the specific challenges of the field. With an understanding of dietary supplement trends and what they mean for product development, any applicant can feel confident breaking into the industry.

Topics: Dietary Supplement Recruiting

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