Spain: An Innovator in the Global Functional Food Market
Feb 1, 2010 12:00 PM
It may not be the largest, but the Spanish market is the most dynamic,thanks to Ebro Puleva and Danone
From an overall sales perspective, Spain may not be the largest functional food and beverage market in the world — or even in Europe, for that matter — but a strong case exists for arguing that it is the most dynamic. In most countries — save Scandinavia, Japan and maybe Australia — functional foods and beverages are typically niche products purchased by a core group of health-conscious, usually middle-class consumers; but in Spain, these products have broached the mainstream to near unprecedented levels. On the product side, an estimated 26% of Spanish foods and beverages have been fortified in some way to make them healthier.
According to Nutrition Business Journal estimates, Spain's functional food and beverage sales grew 10% to $1.4 billion in 2008, making up 36% of the country's total nutrition sales. Although it still represents a relatively small market, Spain is becoming known as Europe's functional food innovation machine, as companies such as Danone, Nestlé and local Spanish dairy producer Ebro Puleva use the country as a testing ground for new products. “Functional activity within the dairy category is particularly strong in Spain,” noted Jenny Foulds, a senior consultant and functional beverage market expert at Zenith International.
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