70% of Adults Take Health Functional Foods... MFDS Advises "Check Certification and Daily Intake"

6 out of 10 People Take 2 to 3 Types of Health Functional Foods

(Photo by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] It has been revealed that about 70% of adult men and women in South Korea purchase and consume health functional foods.

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on the 7th, a survey on the awareness of health functional foods was conducted in November last year targeting 1,500 adults aged 19 and over nationwide. As a result, 68.9% of respondents answered that they "purchase and consume health functional foods."

The percentage of respondents who have experience purchasing health functional foods has steadily increased from 50.2% in 2012. The response rates were 60.6% in 2017, 63.6% in 2018, and 67.6% in 2019. Sales have also shown a steady upward trend. Domestic health functional food sales rose about twofold from 1.4091 trillion KRW in 2012 to approximately 3 trillion KRW in 2019.

Additionally, consumers were found to be relatively well aware of information about health functional foods. 70.9% of all respondents answered that they "know the difference from general foods," and 74.9% said they "know the certification mark for health functional foods." The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety urged, "Health functional foods certified by the Ministry are marked with the phrase ‘Health Functional Food,’ the certification mark, and the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification mark, so please check these before purchasing."

The most common reason for purchasing health functional foods was recommendations from acquaintances at 33.7%. This was followed by internet advertisements (24.4%), others (24.1%), and home shopping advertisements (11.2%). Additionally, 10.7% of respondents said they purchased after seeing "exaggerated advertisements."

Furthermore, nearly six out of ten respondents were found to consume two to three types of health functional foods. Those who consume only one type accounted for 23.9%, and those consuming four to five types accounted for 12.9%.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated, "Health functional foods are foods safely manufactured using ingredients with secured safety, but consuming multiple products with the same functionality does not increase the functionality. It is best to consume according to the daily intake amount specified by the product."