Abstract
Objective: In the present study, the definition and scope of food for special medical purposes, the situations in which they are preferred, their difference from drugs and supplementary foods, the legal regulations and implementation of foods for special medical purposes in Turkey and the world, their share in the global market and the situation about the change of the market in the next five years will be examined.
Result and Discussion: Foods for special medical purposes are specially formulated to be consumed or administered orally under medical supervision, are designed for the specific dietary management of a disease or condition, where different nutritional requirements are determined by medical evaluation based on scientific principles. They should be evaluated as a separate group from medicines and food supplements. There are similar approaches to legal regulations around the world for foods for special medical purposes. However, with the licensing regulation published in 2023, Turkey declared that foods for special medical purposes will be subject to the licensing procedure as in drugs and will be sold only in pharmacies and subject to a physician's prescription. With this regulation, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Türkiye, the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency, sets an example for other countries as the first legal authority to apply licenses for foods for special medical purposes. It is anticipated that the foods for special medical purposes market will experience major growth in the 2021-2030 period, the market will increase with a compound annual growth rate of 5.7% for the 2021-2028 period. It is thought that more product launch activities along with increasing innovations in countries where the market is developing will increase the development of the market. Due to the increasing prevalence of lifelong chronic diseases and the rapid growth of the geriatric population suffering from various cardiovascular, chronic and neuropathy diseases, it is expected that many medical foods and nutritional supplements for nutritional management will come to the market, contributing to the growth of the market in the coming years.