The new regulation, which makes the sale of food products for diseases requiring medical nutrition treatment mandatory in large chain markets, has been put into effect as of 2024. The decision in question was welcomed by all segments of society, especially individuals with diseases such as celiac and diabetes. Evaluating the new regulation published by the Ministry of Commerce from the perspective of the food industry and consumers President of the Turkish Food Employers' Union (TÜGİS) Kaan Sidar “Our food industry carries out many R&D studies, taking into account different needs and consumption habits. With the published regulation, functional foods have become more accessible in the retail market. "Innovations in the food industry and developments in production and processing technologies do not oblige individuals with diseases requiring medical nutrition to import products, and also increase investment and employment by expanding the market in this field," he said.
FUNCTIONAL FOOD IS AN RISING TREND
Underlining that easier access to functional food products will diversify the products produced by the food industry in this field, Sidar said, “The functional food market is in a growing trend with the increase in health awareness globally, the spread of chronic diseases and the increasing aging of the world population. According to research, the global functional / medical food market size reached 2023 billion US dollars in 23,5. By 2030, the market is expected to reach a value of approximately 69,80 billion US dollars. “This market is growing rapidly as more and more people turn to creating health-focused nutrition routines,” he said.
“UNFOUNDATE SHARES SHOULD NOT BE RELIED ON”
In his evaluation, Sidar also touched upon the importance of arousing consumer curiosity about reading content information; “The Turkish food industry, which exports tons of products every year to almost all countries in the world, produces safe and delicious foods that comply with both national and international food legislation and food codex. As TÜGİS, we consider it among our duties to share the gains achieved through R&D studies in our food industry with the public. Our main goal is to increase consumer food literacy through our TÜGİS Science Board, which is composed of experts in the field. We will eliminate the question marks created in the minds of consumers by unfounded posts about food, especially on social media, by conveying scientific facts. We consider it important for the consumer to have information about every stage, including product content, processing technologies used in products, packaging and storage. "The informed consumer will make the best decision for himself by reading the content while shopping for food, and will not rely on unfounded posts made for interaction purposes," he said.
FOOD BECOMES SAFE THROUGH PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
Explaining how foods that are harmful to intolerant individuals are made safe through processing technologies, TÜGİS Scientific Board member Prof. Dr. Nevzat Now “Gluten consumption poses serious risks for celiac patients. However, grains that do not naturally contain gluten, such as rice, corn, quinoa, amaranth, teff, and oats, are subjected to special processing conditions during the grinding and separation stage, eliminating the risk of cross-contamination. Consuming products such as bread and cookies produced with gluten-free flour also becomes possible for individuals with gluten intolerance.
Again, products produced for people with diabetes are formulated to have a low glycemic index (GI) with the food technology used, and sweeteners (sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol) are used instead of sugar to make consumption enjoyable. With this processing technology, people with diabetes can safely consume products such as jam, chocolate and halva without harming their health.
Lactose, that is, milk sugar; It involves a processing process that reduces or completely separates lactose through food technology methods such as lactose hydrolysis, ultrafiltration and enzyme immobilization. "In this way, it is possible for people with lactose intolerance to consume protein-rich and nutritionally important foods such as milk, yoghurt and cheese."
