Ajinomoto launches the first multivitamin and mineral product

Currently, Japan's Ajinomoto has launched the first non-amino acid supplement, which is a compound product containing 12 kinds of vitamins and 9 kinds of minerals, designed for the elderly in the Japanese domestic market. It contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D, E, niacin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, biotin and minerals iron, copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium, selenium, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, logo Ajinomoto first entered the field of vitamins and minerals.

It is reported that this multi-vitamin and mineral supplement provides about half of the daily standard vitamin intake and one-third of the daily mineral intake, which is based on the energy intake of 2200 provided by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan Calculate the average daily intake of Japanese people over 18 years old.

The first non-amino acid supplement product

Ajinomoto's current dietary supplements are mainly amino acids, and this product is the first vitamin and mineral supplement. In 2019, the domestic market for multivitamin supplements is 80 billion yen (US$742 million), and it is expected to grow by 100 million yen each year.

The Japanese vitamin supplement market has reached 80 billion yen. As a "latecomer", it needs more layout and thinking to occupy a certain market share. The company's target audience is elderly consumers. The diet of this group of people cannot provide adequate supply of vitamins and minerals, coupled with disturbances in eating habits and life rhythm, so appetite and nutritional intake may appear to be reduced.

Currently, the retail price of this product is 9088 yen per pack (90 tablets), and the recommended daily intake is three tablets. Since the end of May, the product has been sold nationwide through the Ajinomoto Electronics Mall.

Company market performance

The company currently has no plans to sell the product in overseas markets. However, recently it has launched aminoVITAL supplements specifically developed for athletes in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The company announced that revenue for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 was 1.1 trillion yen (about 10.2 billion US dollars), a 1.3% year-on-year decrease. The reason for the loss is that despite the increase in the production of medicines and the sale of amino acids for medicines and foods, the sales of animal nutrition products are declining. Profits also fell from 39 billion yen (US$362 million) to 289 billion yen (US$268 million).

Although the demand for certain amino acids in medicines, household condiments and processed foods has increased, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a decline in demand for food services and industrial customers.