Functional Foods
by Tanya Zilberter, PhD

What are functional foods? What is a typical example of a functional food? What is FDA policy regarding functional foods? What about Europe? Is there scientific proof of functional foods' benefits?

What are functional foods?

The term Functional Foods is used to describe foods with added ingredients proved of being capable to produce certain health benefits.

Are they popular?

The market for functional foods is growing rapidly all around to globe. Japan currently produce sand consumes about one-half of this market, but the fastest rate of growth is in the United States. . The probiotic market for natural dairy products such as yogurts and fermented milks, is growing rapidly in Europe.

What is a typical example of a functional food?

So called probiotics is a good example. Intense research efforts are under way to develop marketable products where probiotics such as the friendly bacteria species Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are incorporated.

What is health authorities' opinion about functional foods?

Health authorities in many countries, especially Japan and the United States support research on the physiologic effects of food components and their health benefits. It is now expected that the development of functional foods could outstrip development in low-fat "light" foods, which was a key area of growth in the 1990s.

Are there other than probiotics functional foods?

In Japan popular are the FOSHU foods especially containing such "neutraceutical" ingredients as peptides and proteins, essential fats (O-3 and O-6), and oils, sugar alcohols, and lactic acid bacteria.

Popular among the ingredients included in the Japanese functional food group are oligosaccharides, for improvement of intestinal friendly bacteria and caries prevention.

What is FDA policy regarding functional foods?

Functional foods as they are known in Japan do not exist in the US thus no regulation or policy statements exist specifically for them.

The US FDA defined 4 food categories:

  • conventional foods
  • foods for special dietary use
  • medical foods (nutraceuticals)
  • dietary supplements

From a legislative standpoint, probiotics could fit into any of them.

What about Europe?

In contrast with the US, awareness and acceptance of probiotics in Europe is advanced. There is a strong interest among European consumers in foods claiming health benefits.

There are differences in the health claims that interest people in different European countries. For example, the UK places great emphasis on claims related to heart disease and the German consumer is more interested in claims relating to general disease resistance.

Is there scientific proof of functional foods' benefits?

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References

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