More vitamins are being taken in people's diets as people move away from pill-based supplements.
Britons are no longer gaining their vitamins in pill form, as more prefer to consume them as part of their regular diet, research has revealed.
A study from Mintel has found that 38 per cent of British adults now aim to get the vitamins they need in their regular food intake.
Between 2006 and 2008, the proportion of Britons who sometimes turned to vitamin supplements fell from 43 per cent to 41 per cent.
The proportion who took vitamin supplements once a day or more similarly dropped from 34 per cent to 32 per cent.
Senior health and beauty analyst at Mintel Alexandra Richmond explains that functional food is behind the shift, as more people are able to gain the vitamins they need without turning to pills.
"As people eat more healthily, they do not feel that they need to take additional vitamins and minerals from supplements," she says.
Following the recent gathering of the Institute of Food Technologists in Anaheim, California, Mintel's new-product expert Lynn Dornblaser commented that flavoursome functional food is likely to perform well even in a down market.
"If something tastes good and has added benefits, it will do well," she said.
