Current State of Functional Yogurt in Korea

한국 기능성 발효유의 현황

Recent trend of consumers' for health give rise to the interest in health and functional foods. Functional yogurt is a primary item in USA, EU, and Japan that are leaders in health and functional food industry and its market is going to be enlarged. Also in Korea, functional yogurt has been recognized as health food by consumers. Concept of functional yogurt is various by health of intestine, stomach, and liver, and lowering blood pressure in Korean market. However, functional yogurt is not registered as health and functional foods in Health/Functional Food Act of Korea. Under these circumstances, the results of trustable and scientific research on the efficacy of functional yogurt should be accumulated to obtain the consumers' solid recognition of functional yogurt as health and functional food.