FOOD CONSUMPTION AND INNOVATION: FUNCTIONAL FOODS

Increasing numbers of scientific evidences demonstrate the health-promoting properties of some foods and food components besides ensuring the basic nutrients intake. The profound changes in the society lifestyles of the last decades have made consumers more conscious regard the connection between health, longevity and diet, orienting their choices towards new food models. It’s particularly interesting the possibility to prevent those diseases that have spread in countries with economic well-being, only modifying eating habits, and, in this contest, functional foods play undoubtedly an outstanding role in the continuous changing demand for foods. In order to meet these needs, processing industries will have to choose indeed whether to maintain product lines responding to the logic of competition only, or to point to a new development prospective represented by the connection between scientific research and demand for wellness. The aim of this work is providing an overview on the current worldwide legislative situation, market development and the future potential of functional foods, focusing on the Italian market condition.