Functional foods. Communicating benefits to health professionals

The number and variety of functional foods available to the. consumer have both increased dramatically in recent years, and by all predictions this is set to continue, As products are launched to market manufacturers are imaginative in their approach to communicating product benefits to consumers. However, many are overlooking the opportunity, and necessity of also communicating product benefits to health professionals. Communicating, to health professionals has historically been undertaken by few food manufacturers, and many therefore lack experience as to. what to communicate and to who, how to access health professionals and what format to deliver information in. This article, based on a presentation delivered at Functional Foods 2002, reviews the value of dialogue with both consumers and health professionals, and provides an overview of the different communication mediums.