UNS — The increasing trend for functional foods demand showed that the consumption pattern has changed following the healthy lifestyle amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Responding to this issue, the Food Technology Program (ITP) Faculty of Agriculture (FP) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta held the Webinar I-Great Share, initiated by Food Quality and Health Research Group FP UNS. This webinar discussed the “Functional Foods Existence Amid the Pandemic” and provided information on the benefits and potential of functional foods, especially herbal beverages. The webinar also addressed the role of lokapasar to accelerate business amid the pandemic.
The webinar was held through the Zoom Cloud Meeting and invited the Chief of Food Quality and Health Research Group, Danar Praseptiangga, S.T.P, M.Sc., Ph.D., and Putriana Yuniarti, S.Pd, as speakers. Foods have basic benefits such as a source of nutrition, maintaining health, and as a source of research and innovation. Danar Praseptiangga, Ph.D., explained that the pandemic accelerates the changes of perception on health transformation. People adjusted their behavior and lifestyle by caring more about themselves, maintaining their nutrition intake, exercising, and taking more precautionary steps and testing. These changes also increase the demand for functional foods.
Functional food is special food to improve health conditions (nutraceutical) and focuses on prevention. It is defined as natural foods (fresh foods) and/or processed foods with additional health benefits besides essential benefits based on scientific findings. Functional food does not endanger the health and can also prevent the onset of a disease. Nutraceutical is a combination of nutritional and pharmaceutical aspects following the medical approach. Functional food is located between medicine and food and is not a medicine or supplement. The positive effect of this food is the result of normal measures and dietary habits.
“This (functional food) is not medicine. Thus, there is no prescribed dosage and is not for remedy. This is preventive and not curative,” Danar Praseptiangga, Ph.D., emphasized.
In Indonesia, functional foods are primarily developed from local and traditional food culture. The most well-known functional foods are jamu, wedang uwuh, and wedang secang, traditional herbs beverages in Indonesia. These traditional herbs have antioxidant, hypoglycemic, immunomodulator, anti-inflammation, and anti-microbial. According to the Indonesian Food and Beverage Entrepreneurs Association (GAPMMI) data, there were 1247 jamu producers in 2018, and 1118 were Micro and Small Enterprises. In 2019, Jamu contributed IDR 21.5 trillion to the local economy.
The industry also adopted a modern approach with Café Jamu and the increase in the education on this beverage’s benefits. The functional food industry has also been marketed through the e-commerce platform. Putriana Yuniarti, S.Pd., who is also UNS graduate, explained that online platform sales had accelerated the shopping process, especially amid the pandemic. This effort is supported by Indonesian internet users with 175.4 million users who mostly perform online purchasing.
“More people are using online shopping due to the pandemic and limitation on community activities (PPKM),” Putriana explained.
Online shopping has enabled entrepreneurs to reach consumers in far regions, eliminate the need for a physical store, and allow them to operate 24 hours a day. MSME entrepreneurs, especially in functional foods, need to prepare strategies for entering e-commerce. Putriana explained that there are at least four strategies to prepare: personalization, influencer endorsement, maintain customers, and back to the community. Humas UNS
Reporter: Rangga Pangestu Adji
Editor: Dwi Hastuti