Rovithai Limited, a subsidiary of DSM Nutritional Products, expects its sales next year to rise by 5% to 10% after a flat growth this year.

The subsidiary of the Dutch manufacturer of nutritional products, food supplements and pet foods, said it had targeted sales of about 1 billion baht this year, on par with 2008's performance, according to Pisuth Lertvilai, Rovithai's regional marketing manager for Thailand and Indochina.

Demand for food supplements continues to grow by between 5% and 10% per year because people are more health-conscious and better understand the benefits of such products, he said.

"Vitamin C is the rising star of Rovithai this year. The demand could double to 10% this year amid the economic downturn," said Mr Pisuth. "This is because there is more requirement to use Vitamin C in beverages and dairy products. People took more Vitamin C tablets after the spread of H1N1 influenza."

The surge could offset the drop in demand for other vitamins, he said.

Rovithai provides ingredients for the producers of medicine, cosmetics, food and pet food.

The Thai food supplement market is worth about 18 billion baht per year, said Mr Pisuth. But consumers are spending less on supplements because of the economic downturn.

Innovation is essential to keeping demand buoyant, he said. As a result Rovithai has shifted from conducting its own research and development toward funding scientists across the world to produce innovative research and product development for the sector.