About ~2500 years ago, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, welcomed the belief “Let Food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. But with the rapid emergence of modern drug therapy, the “food as medicine” philosophy gained dust in the 19th century. Come 1900s, the primary role that diet plays to promote health and prevent diseases came to the forefront once again.
The whole of 20th century saw a lot of developments when it came to the rise of health-promoting products. On one hand, where scientists all over began to trace physiologically active components in foods from both plants and animals that could help fight a variety of chronic diseases, on the other hand several factors such as an increasingly health-conscious aging population, changes in regulations of food, technological advances and a marketplace that is so ripe for the introducing health-promoting products, all came together to create the new-age trend famously known as “Health Functional Foods”.
What is Health Functional Food (HFF)?
Do you know that certain foods or food components provide us with health and wellness benefits? These foods, also known as functional foods, are thought to provide benefits beyond basic nutrition and play a role in reducing or minimizing the risk of chronic diseases and other health conditions. The term “health/functional food” (HFF) refers to food supplements containing such nutrients or other substances in concentrated forms that have a nutritional or physiological effect with an aim to supplement one’s normal diet.
The Health Functional Food Act was enacted in August 2002 targeting the safety of health functional foods (HFF) with certain health claims for consumer information. HFF was defined as any given product intended for use to enhance and preserve the human wealth inclusive of one or more functional ingredients or constituents. Products such as tablets, capsules, powders, granules, jellies, pastes clubbed with bars were said to be covered by the Act, and the scope was extended to include conventional foods and other diet supplements by the revised act in 2008.
Health Functional Food Market
If you are wondering as to what your business development strategy over the course to launch HFF products in emerging markets such as Korea would be like, here’s what you could do. Adapt to the market requirements with an extensive knowledge on Korean Regulatory affairs. With an expert team of consultants based out of South Korea, Freyr advises the regulatory evaluation and supports strategic consulting befit to your local regulatory requirements. For the best of understanding of the HFF manufacturers willing to enter the Korean market, recently Freyr has organized an exclusive webinar – “The South Korean Regulatory Framework for Health Functional Food (HFF)”. Get your copy of the insightful session here.
