Food as a health factor

More and more consumers no longer merely consider food to be a source of energy, but actually as a component of a healthy lifestyle. Food should not only taste good and be satisfying, it should also be beneficial for the body . The trend is moving towards functional food, i.e. foods or beverages enriched with health-promoting ingredients such as vitamins, probiotics or plant sterols. Probiotic yoghurt or fruit juice enriched with vitamins are well-known examples of functional food. There are also further exciting innovations shaping the future of food that will also be showcased on the Anuga HORIZON Stage .

Health-oriented products have long since become a global mass market that is experiencing dynamic growth. New value chains are emerging for companies, for example through functional ingredients, personalised offers or digital nutritional tools. At the same time, the demands are increasing: Clinical studies have to prove the effectiveness of the products, the regulatory stipulations are becoming stricter and transparency vis-à-vis the consumers is essential.

Personalised food concepts, digital nutritional tools as well as functional food are becoming increasingly popular among the consumers. According to a survey by Virtue Market Research, the worldwide functional food market will rise from US Dollars 251 billion in the year 2023 up to US Dollars 413 billion in the year 2030. Hence, functional food is evolving from being a niche phenomenon to a key growth driver of the global food industry.