Marcela Rebelo
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília – Yesterday specialists on functional foods from around the world began an international congress in São Paulo on the science, innovations and norms for the sector (1º Congresso Internacional sobre Alimentos Funcionais – Ciência, Inovação e Regulamentação). The event is sponsored by the Food Committee at the state Manufacturers Federation (Comitê de Alimentação da Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo) (Fiesp).

Functional food is defined as food that is good for a person's health and delivers more than just basic nutrition. The congress will study the production of such foods and how they can help to prevent and treat disease.

"We hope the congress will create a framework that will provide the consumer safe and reliable information on functional food," explained Edmundo Klotz, president of the Brazilian Food Industry Association (Abia). Klotz pointed out that consumers can find functional foods on the market, such as yogurt containing Omega 3, and milk enriched with calcium. "Big investments are being made in this sector all over the world and Brazil must not miss the boat. With its vast store of fauna and flora, Brazil should be a sector leader."

Klotz said that in 2005 functional foods brought in US$60 billiion. In Brazil, with "diet" and "light" products becoming more popular every day, the sector did business worth US$600 million last year and functional food products now account for around 6% of total food production in Brazil.

Translation: Allen Bennett