Major nutrition seminar highlights the importance of functional foods

The seminar, organised by Tetra Pak Saudi Arabia for its customers and business partners, focussed on recent market development in the beverage industry and how it could affect and check the growing tendency in the Saudi population for diet-related illnesses and conditions.

Held at the Jeddah InterContinental, the well-attended event saw informative and engaging presentations on a range of nutrition subjects. Dr Taha Kumosani, of the Department of Biochemistry at King Abdul Aziz University, highlighted the importance of health-enhancing ingredients in food and the likely effect on Saudi consumers. "Functional Foods" - as these ingredients are called - could be a positive influence on the growing diet-related problems that Saudi healthcare intuitions were facing every day, he said.

John Giles, the Divisional Director of the leading UK-based agri-business and food consulting company Promar International, spoke on the consumers' growing attitude toward health-enhancing beverages and foods, and provided some illuminating demographic statistics about the Kingdom. Kit Mun Lai, the Regional Category Champion for the Tetra Pak Centre of Expertise for South Asia gave a broad overview of nutritional products, while Thomas Bergfelt, from Danisco Cultor - one of the world's largest suppliers for food flavour and ingredients - demonstrated a range of products that utilize functional foods from around the world. His presentation gave the chance for Saudi producers to taste some of the latest beverages available that utilize functional foods.

Functional Foods do not contain any chemical additives and are based on natural substances found in plants. They are combined in foods or beverages to produce effects in the human body beyond that of nutrition. In the US, the focus has been on vitamin additives, in Asia on natural plant extracts, and in Europe on the effects of lactic acid bacteria.

Dr Kumosani highlighted the importance of spreading the message from such seminars and events out to Saudi consumers. "In a society that is facing an explosion in diet-related disorders, more than ever do the healthy ingredients of functional foods and beverages need to reach and be understood by a wider audience," he said.

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