Manufacturers must highlight added value

National Food Institute Thailand Director Yuthasak Suphasorn said that food is no longer just food as the consumers are paying more attention to the value of ingredients.

 "Basic nutritions like memory boosting and shields from diabetes and heart disease are still in attention. But manufacturers should also add more value into their products," he said.

 A survey showed that consumers pay higher attention to food which contains special ingredients that nurture memory and skin care, so-called "superfoods". They also focus more on exotic fruits so-called "superfruits" like pomagranate and others which are of red, purple and blue colours. Yuthasak said that during the past three years, the number of products containing pomagranate juices has risen five times.

 "Of total food exports, 52 per cent is processed. But most of them are not offering added health value. Their products could be imported by manufacturers of other countries who could add value to the products and sell them in the high-end market," Yuthasak said.

- The Nation