Functional food
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A functional food or designer food, also called fortified food,[1] is a food claimed to have an additional benefit beyond just nutrition (often one related to health promotion or disease prevention) by modifying the cultivation of the native food or by adding ingredients during manufacturing.[2]
The term applies to traits purposely bred into existing edible plants, such as purple or gold potatoes having increased anthocyanin or carotenoid contents, respectively.[3] Functional food manufacturing has the intent "to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions, and may be similar in appearance to conventional food and consumed as part of a regular diet".[4]
The term also applies to food processing practices which include ingredients purposely added with the intent to improve the food health value and for marketing to specific consumer groups.[2]
The term was first used in the 1980s in Japan, where a government approval process for functional foods called Foods for Specified Health Use (FOSHU) exists.[5]
In the European Union, functional foods are conceptual rather than designated as a specific food category. The European Commission’s initiatives, such as the Concerted Action on Functional Food Science in Europe (FUFOSE) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), define functional foods as those that beneficially impact body functions beyond nutrition, contributing to improved health or disease risk reduction [6]
Definition
In 1998, the European Commission’s Concerted Action on Functional Food Science in Europe proposed in a European consensus document a working definition of functional food:[7] Template:Quote
The concept includes the following unique features of a functional food:
- being a conventional or everyday food,
- being consumed as part of the normal/usual diet,
- composed of naturally occurring (as opposed to synthetic) components, perhaps in unnatural concentration or present in foods that would not normally supply them,
- having a positive effect on target function(s) beyond nutritive value/basic nutrition,
- may enhance well-being and health and/or reduce the risk of disease or provide health benefit so as to improve the quality of life, including physical, psychologic, and behavioral performances,
- having authorized and scientifically based claims.
A functional food can be:[7]
- a natural food,
- a food to which a component has been added,
- a food from which a component has been removed,
- a food where the nature of one or more components has been modified,
- a food in which the bioavailability of one or more components has been modified, or
- any combination of these possibilities.
The 33rd European Nutrition and Dietetics Conference in July 2026 simply uses the definition "food that's designed to possess some health advantages apart from its traditional nutritional value".[1]
Ingredients and market trends
Common ingredients intended to be functional when added to foods include polyunsaturated fatty acids, probiotics, prebiotics, vitamins with antioxidant properties, and protein.[8][9]
As of 2025, leading product trends and motivations for choosing functional foods are for energy drinks, healthy aging, active living, and weight loss, among several others.[2]
Health claim status
Presumed benefits of making foods more functional or healthful have not been scientifically established, and specific statements of health claims are regulated on food labels in the European Union, United States and Canada.[10][11] Studies have shown that certain functional foods provide health benefits and prevent diseases. However, safety considerations should be paramount. Safety concerns have been raised on the addition of certain botanicals to food like beverages, cereals and soups some of which pose adverse health risks to consumers.[12]
In 2001, the FDA issued letters warning the food industry concerning the use of certain "novel ingredients" in conventional foods.[12]
Industry
In the United States in 2024, retail sales of functional food and beverage products totaled $320 billion, with estimates for growth to $384 billion by 2028.[2]
See also
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- Food fortification
- Novel food
- Functional beverage
- Medical food, specially formulated foods to treat diseases with distinctive nutritional needs
References
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- ^ a b 33rd European Nutrition and Dietetics Conference, July 20-21, 2026. Accessed May 2026
- ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sloan AE (4 April 2025). "The Top 10 Functional Food Trends". Food Technology Magazine, Institute of Food Technology. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Delicious, Nutritious, and a Colorful Dish for the Holidays!". US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, AgResearch Magazine. November 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Basics about Functional Food" (PDF). US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. July 2010.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."FOSHU, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan". Government of Japan.
- ^ Vlaicu, P.A.; Untea, A.E.; Varzaru, I.; Saracila, M.; Oancea, A.G. Designing Nutrition for Health—Incorporating Dietary By-Products into Poultry Feeds to Create Functional Foods with Insights into Health Benefits, Risks, Bioactive Compounds, Food Component Functionality and Safety Regulations. Foods 2023, 12, 4001. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12214001
- ^ a b Marcel B. Roberfroid, A European Consensus of Scientific Concepts of Functional Foods. Nutrition Volume 16, Numbers 7/8, 2000
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Granato D, Barba FJ, Kovačević DB, et al. (25 March 2020). "Functional Foods: Product Development, Technological Trends, Efficacy Testing, and Safety". Annual Review of Food Science and Technology. 11: 93–118. doi:10.1146/annurev-food-032519-051708. ISSN 1941-1413.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mellentin J (7 October 2024). "Key Trends in Functional Foods for 2025". Nutraceuticals World. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.González-Díaz C, Gil-González D, Álvarez-Dardet C (November 2018). "Scientific Evidence on Functional Food and Its Commercial Communication: A Review of Legislation in Europe and the USA". Journal of Food Science. 83 (11): 2710–2717. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.14359. hdl:10045/83410. PMID 30339738.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Health claims on food labels". Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hasler CM (1 December 2002). "Functional Foods: Benefits, Concerns and Challenges—A Position Paper from the American Council on Science and Health". The Journal of Nutrition. 132 (12): 3772–3781. doi:10.1093/jn/132.12.3772. ISSN 0022-3166.
External links
- Functional Foods: Public Health Boon or 21st Century Quackery? Script error: No such module "webarchive"., a review of regulations and demand for functional foods in Japan, the U.S. and the UK (March 1999)
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