"K-Health Conference 2026" opened on the 25th at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul.
During the three-day conference, which runs through the 27th, a total of seven seminars and four consultation sessions will be held on topics including recognition of functional ingredients and key policy issues, the personalized health functional food system, export strategies for health functional foods to the United States and Japan, and distribution trends in the health functional food industry.
The Korea Health Supplements Association organized the event to flesh out practical measures for strengthening the global competitiveness and sustainable growth of Korea's health functional food industry, based on its vision of "Now to the world, K-Health W.A.V.E," and to expand exchanges among stakeholders at home and abroad. Through this conference, it plans to reinforce cooperation among industry, academia, research institutes and government, while broadening the foundation for action so that the domestic health functional food industry can establish itself as a key sector in the global healthcare market.
More than 60 people, including government and industry officials, attended the opening luncheon held on the morning of the 25th at The Westin Seoul Parnas. The event featured opening remarks, congratulatory speeches and a presentation of the Minister of Food and Drug Safety Award, followed by a keynote speech that shared changes in the global health functional food industry and future strategies.
Jeong Myung-su, chairman of KHSA, said, "This year, we want to turn the momentum of K-Health W.A.V.E into more concrete industry strategies and cooperation." He added, "I hope industry, academia, government, and distribution and marketing experts can come together to continue practical discussions and collaboration on everything from ingredients and regulations to export strategies and global trends."
In his keynote address, Simon Pettman, secretary-general of IADSA, said, "The global health functional food industry is playing a more important role in health and nutrition policy as consumer demand, advances in science and technology, and changes in the regulatory environment continue to evolve." He emphasized, "To keep pace with these changes, regulatory and policy frameworks must also develop to support innovation and consumer access. It is important to respect each country's institutional characteristics while also improving international regulatory alignment."
Reporter Kim So-hyung compact@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
