Hecto Healthcare Receives Minister of Food and Drug Safety Commendation for Contribution to the Development of the Health Functional Food Industry

[Financial News] Global healthcare company Hecto Healthcare Co., Ltd. received a commendation from the Minister of Food and Drug Safety for its contribution to the development of the health functional food industry and the promotion of public health.
Hecto Healthcare Co., Ltd. said on the 26th that it was selected as a contributor to the development of the health functional food industry and received the commendation at the opening event of the 'K-Health Conference 2026.'
The event, hosted by the Korea Health Functional Food Association, was organized to share key issues facing the domestic health functional food industry and expand exchanges among the government, industry, and academia. This year's conference runs from the 25th to the 27th and covers major topics across the sector, including functional ingredients, regulations, exports, and distribution.
Hecto Healthcare Co., Ltd. was recognized for its continued R&D efforts in health functional foods, digital healthcare, and microbiome research. It was also praised for advancing probiotic research and functional ingredient development based on scientific evidence, while identifying new functions and turning them into commercial products.
Drawing on CEO Kim Seok-jin's research background, Hecto Healthcare Co., Ltd. has expanded its research foundation in probiotics and microbiome science. Kim graduated from Seoul National University College of Dentistry and served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Periodontics at Indiana University, where he studied microorganisms, infection, and immunity. He later published books on probiotics and founded the Good Bacteria Research Institute to promote research and public awareness of the field.
In particular, the company established a research and technology partnership with world-renowned lactic acid bacteria expert Professor Claudio De Simone and introduced the De Simone Formulation to Korea. The ingredient received individual approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for the claim that it 'may help improve gut health by regulating intestinal immunity.'
Based on more than 15 years of accumulated microbiome research capabilities, Hecto Healthcare Co., Ltd. has built a proprietary library of more than 3,000 bacterial strains. It is also developing new functional ingredients by establishing next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and a functional evaluation system.
More recently, its self-developed probiotic compound ingredient, 'BN-202M,' was approved as an individually recognized health functional food ingredient after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety acknowledged its function of 'helping reduce body fat.'
Kim Seok-jin, CEO of Hecto Healthcare Co., Ltd., said, "This commendation is meaningful because it recognizes our continued R&D efforts in the health functional food and probiotic fields based on scientific evidence," adding, "We will continue to introduce products and solutions that consumers can trust and work to strengthen the global competitiveness of Korea's health functional food industry."

[email protected] Jung Sang-hee Reporter