Functional foods and beverages falls under the category of health and
wellness food products. It provides additional or enhanced health
benefits over basic nutrition. Functional foods include a broad range of
products that includes probiotics, prebiotics, or plant stanols and
sterols. In addition, functional foods also include cereals, breads,
yogurts, snacks and beverages that are fortified with vitamins, herbs or
other specialty ingredients. The term specialty ingredient is used for
the ingredients that are naturally nutrient-rich whole food source such
as spirulina, garlic, soy or it may be an important component of a food,
such as omega 3 fatty acids from salmon. Though functional foods and
beverages provide health benefits, they should not be considered as an
alternative to a varied and balanced diet, and a healthy lifestyle.
Analysts forecast the Global Functional Foods and Beverages market will grow at a CAGR of 5.21 percent over the period 2013-2018.
The
Report recognizes the following companies as the key players in Global
Functional Foods and Beverages Market: General Mills Inc., Kellogg Co.,
Nestlé S.A, PepsiCo Inc., Arla Foods Inc., BioGaia AB, Chr. Hansen A/S,
Clover Industries Ltd, Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd, Ganeden Biotech
plc, General Mills Inc., Institut Rosell-Lallemand , Lifeway Foods Inc.,
Probi AB, Royal DSM NV, Seven Seas Ireland Ltd.
The past few
years have witnessed a dramatic rise in the occurrence of health
problems such as diabetes, digestive disorders, allergies, and obesity
in the global population. Hence, people have become health conscious and
are following a healthy diet to prevent or reduce the occurrence of
digestive disorders as this is an emerging health-related problem. The
health-conscious population seeks foods with low calories but having the
right combination of essential nutrients. Hence, healthy eating habits
have increased the demand for digestive health food products and drinks,
which is expected to propel the growth of the Global Functional Foods
and Beverages market during the forecast period.
This report
covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the Global
Functional Foods and Beverages market for the period 2014-2018. To
calculate the market size, it takes into account revenue generated from
the retail sales of functional foods and beverages.
Global
Functional Foods and Beverages Market 2014-2018, has been prepared based
on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The
report covers North America, Europe, the APAC region, and ROW; it also
covers the Global Functional Foods and Beverages market landscape and
its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes a
discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.
According
to the report, the growth of the Global Functional Foods and Beverages
market is supported by several drivers. The growing awareness of the
benefits of functional foods is increasing demand and this acts as one
of the major driving forces for the growth of the Global Functional
Foods and Beverages market.
Further, the report states that the
threat of contamination of ingredients and raw materials because of
improper handling is a major challenge that limits market growth.
