[Unpad.ac.id, 1/04/2016] Along with more awareness for people for healthy living, functional food market potential was even greater. Yet in Indonesia, functional food distribution was still limited.
R&D Manager of PT Nutrifood Indonesia, Irene Triyanti, S.TP., MSc., mentioned such in the Public Lecture of “Functional Food: Challenges and Opportunities from Industrial Perspective” held by Faculty of Agricultural Industrial Technology (FTIP) at Unpad Basic Science Service Center ( PPBS), Campus Jatinangor, Friday (1/04).
“Indonesia could be said to only have little functional foods. It only has the supplements version, widely circulated,” said Irene.
Irene said that procedures of a company to make claims for functional food were lengthy and costly. In a food product packaging, benefits of the food, apart from the material contained, should not be mentioned. Usually the companies conveyed the benefits in the form of a vigorous advertising.
On the occasion, Irene also revealed development of functional foods in some countries. Functional food based was increasingly popular especially with the increasing number of disease arising from food, or even symptoms after long consumption.
According to her, functional food was usually needed by those who are ill, who want to live healthier, want to have better body performance, or just to enjoy for pleasure.
She further revealed that functional foods could be consumed by all ages. However, based on a survey, functional food was even more attractive to the younger generation. “Older people should have been more in need of functional food consumption, but in fact they did not even consider it,” said Irene.*
Reported by Agi Kurniasandi and Artanti Hendriyana / eh
