The study is called Do Functional Foods Fuel Consumer Appetites in Europe?, and will include original consumer research across the UK, France, Germany and Spain.

Amongst the drivers it will be assessing are the impact of obesity on the market, the role of satiety, tailored nutrition, disease prevention, and maintaining an active lifestyle through the middle years.

It may also turn up previously unconsidered drivers, said Leatherhead. For companies currently in or seeking to enter the market, the study will "identify factors that will assist in the future marketing and positioning of functional foods, which will help maximise their chances of success".

By subscribing to the publication in advance, companies can have the opportunity to help shape the nature of the information gathered to their own particular needs, by placing pertinent questions in the surveys and interviews.

Leatherhead has continued to track the functional foods market since the publication of the last edition of its report Functional Foods and the Consumer in 2003. Since then, it says the market has shown dynamic growth; in 2005 it valued the European market at €4bn.

A new report on the international functional foods market is slated for publication in the near future.

For more information on subscribing, contact Nicole Patterson , market research analyst at Leatherhead.