Eureka! Institutional Repository

Purpose: This study aims at recording the vitamin supplements available on the Greek market and their acceptance and use by the Greek consumer. Methology: This research is being explored and analyze vitamin supplements as well as the consumer’s preference for them. The supplement were recorded based on the ΕΟΦ approved table. The questions you asked were answered through questionnaires with the help of 50 pharmacists from the prefectures Athens, Thessaloniki, Kozani and Imathia. Results: Of the 1283 foods supplements which circulating on the Greek market, as they coynted from the last list ΕΟΦ, about half (600) correspond to vitamins. Vitamin C is the one found in most formulation, either alone or in combination, with other substances. Vitamin C also comes first in preferences of the Greek consumers as it emerged fron the survey questionnaires, the second place comes multivitamin supplements while in the third place are the B vitamins. The form of consumption of supplement which is more popular, are effervescent tablets. Also, the influence of the advertisements on supplements seems to be exerted strongly on consumers. Conclusions: In relation to vitamin B supplements, which come third in preference, either with the multivitamin formulations which are second in series, vitamin C is the vitamin supplement with the strongest presence in Greek trade. This is justified by the high demand for vitamin C fron Greek consumers. This need has led in turn, to the increasing interest of more and more pharmaceutical companies to deal with the circulation of vitamin C supplements in trade. Other studies have shown that the first preferred supplement is that multivitamins. Multivitamins are formulations that contain both vitamin C and a variety of the other vitamins. Therefore, pharmaceutical companies focus on the manufacture and marketing of formulations with vitamin C. Consumers are targeting the market for formulations through the great promotion and marketing of supplementary companies. Of course, vitamin C is a vital vitamin for the organism, which gives it objective value beyond the interests of marketing.