Functional foods are defined as any food which provides essential nutrition that may contribute to improving one’s health, such as minimally processed, whole food or fortified or enriched products that contain specific nutrients. They may also be called “Foods for Specialized Health Uses”.
Functional foods offer many ways to add nutrition to your diet, whether through naturally sourced items such as nuts and seeds or fortified granolas or more commercially produced options such as fortified breakfast bars.
They are nutrient-dense
Functional foods are foods with added nutritional benefits when consumed regularly as part of a balanced diet, and at effective levels. Some functional foods contain bioactive components which have been demonstrated to alter physiological functions either through basic research on cell culture and animal research, or clinical research with humans.
In general, eating whole food-based nutrients is the ideal way to reap health benefits from your diet. Some individuals may benefit from adding supplements as part of their normal routine diet; functional foods provide more natural sources of these essential vitamins and minerals.
Keep in mind that leading a healthy lifestyle encompasses regular physical activity, stopping smoking and relieving stress, as well as managing to achieve weight control through effective nutrition. While functional foods can fill nutritional gaps, they cannot compensate for poor overall diet choices; to truly ensure an effective nutritional regimen consists of both functional foods and beverages and nutritious whole food sources like berries, legumes and fatty fish.
They are fortified
Fortification is an established trend in functional foods market. Fortification aims to address public health concerns such as nutritional deficiency or improve overall nutrition profile of foods; cereals may be enhanced with folate and iron, milk with calcium or some types of salt fortified with iodine, etc.
However, not all fortified functional foods have been scientifically examined and some claims made by functional foods may be exaggerated; such as the impact of medicinal mushrooms such as cordyceps and ginkgo biloba on immune function which have not yet been demonstrated scientifically.
However, the market for foods touted for their health benefits is flourishing rapidly due to an increase in self-care awareness among aging demographics, new food regulations, technological advancements, and the resurgence of “Let food be your medicine and medicine be thy food”. This trend has resulted in research into physiologically active components from plants (phytochemicals) and animals (zoochemicals) found within foods which may help lower chronic disease risks or otherwise optimize health benefits.
They are labeled
Functional foods have emerged since the 1980s when researchers began identifying physiologically active components found in both plant- and animal-sourced food sources such as phytochemicals and zoochemicals that help lower risks associated with cancer and heart disease, providing benefits beyond what vitamins and minerals alone could do. With increasing awareness among society regarding health-promoting foods and changes to food regulations, this trend towards health-promoting foods has only become stronger over time.
These products may seem to promise health improvements and disease prevention, but in order to maintain optimal health it’s also important to include daily exercise and checkups with a healthcare provider. In America, heart disease is the number one cause of death with one fatal heart attack occurring every 40 seconds – eating nutritious food while cutting back on smoking and excessive drinking as well as exercising regularly can reduce your risk.
As there is no legal definition for functional foods, the FDA categorizes them into four groups. These categories include conventional foods, dietary supplements, drugs and medical foods – each category carrying unique regulatory implications that Husch Blackwell can assist you in understanding as you find the best regulatory path for your product.
They are marketed
Your pantry might already contain several functional foods without you even realizing it, without even realizing it! For instance, milk often provides calcium and vitamin D while juice offers folate, iron and various other vitamins and minerals – some products even contain probiotics for digestive health! Plus there are plant-based dairy alternatives with plenty of nutrient density!
Consumers today are becoming more interested in functional foods that offer added nutritional benefits beyond meeting basic nutrition needs, thanks to increasing health awareness, an aging population, and their desire to enhance overall well-being. The market for such food items continues to expand.
Consumer acceptance of functional foods depends on a range of factors, including product type, perceived taste and price. Research indicates that consumer attitudes influence purchase intentions and thus the success of a marketing campaign for functional food products. Marketers should use experts like doctors or scientists as well as images featuring healthy-looking individuals when advertising functional food products.
