Functional food products and those designed to improve the well-being of consumers are among the fastest growing categories in the food industry.
According to a study made by independent organisation Leatherhead Food Research, and analysed by GondolaDigital.com, the healthy and functional foods sector is expected to experience global growth of 7 per cent this year.
Speaking at Alimentaria 2016, Luís Arola, director of the Centro Tecnológico de Nutrición y Salud (CTNS) pointed out as an example the boom of food products with bioactive elements that help with the normal functioning of different parts of the body, such as intestinal flora, the joints and the skin.
He added that the CTNS is participating in pioneering developments in the field of functional foods, such as with products enriched with ‘Mobilee’, a natural extract developed by Catalonian company Bioibérica, which helps decrease joint pain.
With the support of the CTNS, Mobile has even been approved as a ‘Novel Food’ by the European Commission, with it being described as being beneficial for preserving joint health if consumed daily.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Gabriela Guédez. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
