Witnessing robust expansion at nearly 7% CAGR during 2019-2026, the heart health functional food market in Asia-Pacific will be driven by growing demand for specific health products, inclination towards foods that promote a healthy lifestyle, and increasing focus on prevention rather than cure. A survey revealed that consumers are increasingly turning to food products that are responsible for promoting sleep, improving mood, boosting energy levels, maintaining heart health, and aiding in weight management.
Key takeaways – heart health functional food market study
- The willingness of consumers to experiment with new products and the consumers’ trust in the traditional source of advertising are factors that play an essential role in the growth of the heart health functional food market.
- In Indonesia, traditional marketing strategy, apart from television advertisements, has a high impact on sales. Indonesians easily trust word-of-mouth and suggestions from sales and marketing persons, friends, relatives, and from other marketing messages. All of these factors directly influence consumers to buy new products, thus boosting the growth of the heart health functional food market in the country.
- Related government bodies across the region are introducing and enforcing new laws regarding the consumption of heart health functional food products, especially those fortified with Omega 3. This creates opportunities for heart health functional food manufacturers to introduce new custom products that take into account the needs of the target audience.
- According to the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare in Japan, adults between 18-29 years must consume 1.8g-2.1g of total Omega 3 per day. The growing demand for Omega 3 among millennials has created lucrative opportunities in the Asia-Pacific heart health functional food market.
- Japan is seen as a highly profitable market for manufacturers of heart health functional food worldwide. As per the report by Japan Health Food & Nutrition Food Association (JHFNA) in 2010, 65% people between 35-55 years were aware of Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) products, and 22% of them are using the functional health products regularly.
- In 2013, FOSHU policy approved eight FOSHU products under its category of health claim, which is beneficial for controlling blood cholesterol levels, body fat, blood pressure, blood glucose, etc.
In the past five years, consumers have become more attentive towards maintaining their health and are showing preference for heart health functional food products. In 2018, the consumption of heart health functional foods in Thailand witnessed tremendous growth, with an average increase of 7-15% in comparison to that in the past five years. This was majorly the result of regulations on health claim and clean labelling.
Plant sterol and soy protein would remain among the highly favoured ingredients in heart health functional market in Asia-Pacific, attributing to high consumer preference for vegetarian products. While the former is derived from fruits, vegetables, seeds, and grains, the latter is gaining traction owing to its affordability and accessibility to manufacturers.
These insights are based on a APAC Heart Health Functional Food Market report by Future Market Insights (FMI).
