Functional food production is an opportunity for the food industry because it is a growing market, the 15th conference "Functional food in Croatia", organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and the Croatian Society of Food Technologists, Biotechnologists and Nutritionists (CROFoST), was told earlier this week.

The term “functional food”, according to a press release issued by the HGK, was first used in Japan in the 1980s, and very quickly this trend spread to the rest of the world. It refers to food that contains bioactive compounds that have been scientifically proven to have a beneficial effect on human health.

Trends in consumer eating habits and increasing health awareness are driving growth in the sector, while innovation and regulation play a key role in shaping this market, the press release said. The conference was told that at the end of 2022, the global functional food market reached a value of $193.77 billion, and was expected to grow further at an annual rate of 6.7%.

“In the production of functional food, we see an opportunity for the food industry due to the growing market and increasing demand for food that offers health benefits,” said Jelena Đugum, head of the HGK Agriculture Division.

Increasing investment in research in this area, she said, is key to improving innovation and competitiveness. Cooperation with research institutions, the scientific community and companies in order to jointly finance such projects should be strong drivers of the growth of the market for functional and innovative food in Croatia, said Đugum.

The conference brought together food companies, competent authorities, the scientific community, and the public health sector, under the slogan “Synergy of economy, science, control and food safety”, the HGK said in the press release.

Director of the Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food, Darja Sokolic, presented the results of a national survey of eating habits among children under the age of nine in Croatia, indicating that milk and dairy products are the most frequently consumed category of fortified food, while nutritionist Darija Vranesic Bender from the KBC Zagreb hospital spoke about the importance of proteins in the diet and about the trend of replacing proteins of animal origin with proteins of plant origin.