• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Functional Foods Market Assessment 2008 Available Now

Posted on: Friday, 15 February 2008, 09:00 CST

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c83055) has announced the addition of "Functional Foods Market Assessment 2008" to their offering.

Functional foods principally comprise fibre-, mineral- or vitamin-fortified breakfast cereals, probiotic yoghurts and yoghurt drinks, and cholesterol-lowering margarines and spreads. In recent years, use of the functional active ingredients in these foods has been extended, with cholesterol-lowering stanols and polysterols, and vitamins, being added to yoghurts, yoghurt drinks, milk and cheese, and omega-3 fatty acids being included in bread, spreads, soya milk and other milks. In addition, soya has become a more widely used ingredient, mainly in functional yoghurts, breads and margarines.

The total functional foods market grew by 8.3% by value in the year ending 8th September 2007, which represents a substantial slowing of growth compared with the 22.1% growth in the year ending 9th September 2006. This is accounted for by a decrease in sales of yoghurt drinks and almost static sales of cholesterol-lowering margarines. However, strong growth in probiotic yoghurts, in soya milks and in the small fibre-fortified breads sector allowed positive overall growth, which is now much closer to that of traditional foods and drinks. Fortified breakfast cereals, probiotic yoghurts and yoghurt drinks together represented a 76.6% share of the total market by value in the year ending 8th September 2007, with these and some other functional variants having become mainstream products.

All manufacturers of breakfast cereals -- notably Kellogg, Nestlé, Weetabix, Quaker and Jordan -- produce functional breakfast cereals and cereal bars. The probiotic yoghurts sector is dominated by Danone, Yeo Valley, Onken and Müller. Danone and Müller also head the yoghurt drinks sector, followed by McNeil's Benecol and the pioneer, Yakult. Unilever's Flora pro.activ holds the major share within cholesterol-lowering margarines and spreads, and Alpro has a similar position within soya milks. Allied Bakeries leads in the functional bread sector.

Functional foods and drinks are targeted at various health-related conditions associated with old age; the market is, therefore, anticipated to benefit from the ageing population profile in the UK. It will also benefit from the ongoing interest, not only among older persons but also among younger generations, in healthier eating.

This interest continues to be supported by the Government's concern over the obesity `epidemic', with future predictions showing a substantial proportion of adults and children becoming obese or overweight over the next decades. This situation is likely to continue to make health the major consideration of food and drink manufacturers, and the subject of the majority of their new product development (NPD) work.

However, advertising expenditure on functional foods fell by almost 40% in the year ending June 2007; this was principally accounted for by a large decline in promotional expenditure on yoghurt drinks, which accompanied their falling sales.

Sales of functional foods over the next 5 years (to 2011/2012) are predicted to increase at rates reflected by their traditional counterparts. This should not be unexpected, as many functional variants have now become mainstream.

For more information, visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c83055

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category