By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
Good news for health-conscious Koreans, says the head of the world's largest vitamin and mineral supplement manufacturer, as a new type of personalized nutrition regimen is set to be introduced here soon.
``The personalized assessment allows scientists to analyze customers' diet, lifestyle and even understand their genetics to provide the optimal nutrition solution just for them,'' Carl S. Rehnborg, president of California-based Nutrilite Health Institute, told reporters Monday.
The customized system has been introduced in the U.S. and Canada markets last year with positive feedback, and the 71-year-old nutrition pioneer said the future of Korean market looks bright.
The first phase of the program is to begin in Korea late next year.
Korea is the fourth-largest market for the global dietary supplement maker that sells in 57 countries worldwide, followed by, in order, China, the U.S. and Japan.
With last year's local sales hovering around 240 billion won, Rehnborg said he aims for additional growth here, plus a global doubling of sales from the current $3 billion a year to $6 billion in five years.
``A similar phenomenon is taking place these days as more and more people are moving to urban areas,'' said Rehnborg, explaining that such urbanization leads lives to become more stressful and hectic, inevitably resulting in poor health. ``They move from plant-based diet to convenience food and embrace more fat.''
Noting that ``health'' is a standout keyword around the world, he said more men and women are moving away from the curing process toward preventive measures.
``Likewise in Korea, which makes this market very important to our business,'' Rehnborg said. But he added that the local market sees many fads, such as glucosamine and gamma linolenic acid, that come and go.
``The distribution process and overheated marketing seem to affect the lifecycle of dietary supplements that actually are not something to be taken once and dismissed,'' he said, adding that products promoting weight loss experience this more so than others.
Rehnborg said the company plans to launch its Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) product, a weight loss supplement, early next month and make another jump into the local game.
``One important thing to keep in mind is that women equate being slim to beauty,'' he said. ``But taking charge of your eating and getting lots of exercise are key to losing weight. No magic program.''