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CANADA – FUNCTIONAL FOOD OPTIONS FOR PORK
Functional food market creates opportunity for livestock producers
29 September 2006. Source: Farmscape (Episode 2259). Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council, Bruce Cochrane - www.farmscape.ca
Ontario Pork predicts a greater consumer awareness of health and well being will create tremendous opportunity for livestock producers interested in participating in the expanding market for functional foods.
Functional foods are ordinary foods which contain components that offer some added
benefit, either medical or psychological, that go beyond basic nutrition. Current examples of pork products considered to be functional foods include pork which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, a compound recognized as having a positive effect in terms of eye, brain and cardiovascular health and pork which is high selenium a compound which has been linked to reduced risk of cancer, improved immune response and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
Ontario Pork Communications Manager Clare Illingworth says the level of consumer interest is already strong and it's expected to continue to grow.
Clip-Clare Illingworth-Ontario Pork
Right now it is estimated that by 2010 the functional foods market is going to grow to about 167 billion dollars.
Currently in Canada about a billion dollars of value of farm production is going to supply ingredients for the functional foods market.
Probably this is being driven by consumers having an increased awareness of the role that functional food can play in supporting their health, longevity and well being.
Some reasons behind this would be the aging population. Rising health care costs, it's certainly top of mind with government and consumers right now.
As our population ages there's going to be an increased burden on our health care in Canada and agriculture and specifically animal proteins, through functional foods, could help ease that burden.
Illingworth notes most of the current research so far into functional foods has revolved around vegetable and crops and less emphasis has been placed on animal products so there is certainly a large opportunity to create some successful animal protein products.
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