Chrysanthemum

The focus of this report

This report has been prepared by Stanton, Emms & Sia for Canadian producers and exporters of functional foods, nutraceuticals and organic food and drinks.

For the purposes of this report:

Functional foods are defined as products that are similar in appearance to conventional foods, are consumed as part of a normal diet and have demonstrated physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond nutritive function.

Singapore's range of functional foods is very wide. They include:

Mass market items, which include:

- Traditional food and drink products, e.g. Chinese medicinal products (retail packaged dry herbal soup mixes), Essence of Chicken and soft drinks, e.g. chrysanthemum tea, and, even, some cooked foods that are sold at hawker centres and in "medicinal restaurants; and

- Non-indigenous food and drink products, e.g. cultured milk drinks, enriched liquid milks and yoghurts, medicated confectionery, bottled nutritive drinks and herbal-based dietary supplements. Such supplements are categorised as vitamins and minerals, sports nutrition, herbal preparations, food supplements, youth enhancing products, and some non-food items, e.g. natural beauty and cosmetic treatments

Niche market items, which include a range of imported dietary foods, including sugar free products, gluten free products, fat free products, high fibre products, etc.

Nutraceuticals are defined as products that are isolated from foods but sold in powders, pills and other medicinal forms not generally associated with food, and that have been demonstrated to have physiological benefits or to provide protection against chronic diseases. This definition also includes nutraceutical ingredients that are incorporated in fortified and modified food and drinks.

Organic foods are products that have been produced in accordance with organic production standards and certified by a duly constituted organic certification body or authority.

Organic food handlers, processors and retailers adhere to standards to maintain the integrity of organic agricultural products. Organic agriculture is based on minimising the use of external inputs, avoiding the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues, due to general environmental pollution. However, methods are used by farmers to minimize pollution of air, soil and water.

The above technical definitions were sourced from Health Canada and CODEX.

It should be noted that the Singapore market now has a wide range of different terms that "cloud" its markets for the products covered by this study. They include organic,