- The value of the functional food market in Poland is around 3.7 billion euro. It is still a niche in the Polish market and nobody knows what it will look like in the future. Shelves with this type of products are growing, but this does not coincide with their turnover - said Adam Mokrysz, CEO of Mokate Group during the "FUTURE FOODS. Poland as the 'Silicon Valley' of the Food Industry" debate at the Food Market and Trade Forum 2019.

Adam Mokrysz admitted that the functional food market in the EU is already worth 117 billion euro, while in Poland it's value is about 3.7 billion euro.

- This certainly constitutes growth, but it is still a niche in the Polish market and nobody knows what it will look like in the future. Currently, traditional products still dominate the market. Consumers are looking for functionality and added value in food. We can see this on store shelves. Once it used to be only one shelf, now it is often a few aisles. The shelves are expanding, but this does not coincide with the turnover of this type of products - he added.

The Mokate Group CEO pointed out that the company is also launching functional products, in particular in the tea category.

- Surely this market is in an upward trend, but one should carefully watch how it will develop. Currently in Poland it is still a small, niche market. Western Europe constitutes two-thirds of the functional food market. For the consumer of this type of products, the most important is flavour, but also an affordable price. The purchasing power of Poles is growing, but we are still looking for the best ratio of price to quality. If functional products are to be mass products, they cannot be 2-3 times more expensive than regular ones - he concluded.