 |
| photo by nestle |
The concept of functional food extends to the scientific and nutritional role of food in relation to health (Heasman and Millentin 2001). Despite this, and the high level of scientific activity geared towards unraveling the health promoting secrets of food and food components, functional food and nutraceuticals have defied consistent definitions among academics, scientists, business analyst and policy expert.
A simple definition has been put forward by the US Institute of Medicine. Functional food is defined as “any modified food or food ingredient that may provide a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrients it contains” (American Dietetic Association 1995). But behind such a simple definition lies a vast topic. It embraces global scientific discovery heralding what is being described as a “new frontier in nutritional sciences” and regulatory and policy challenges that involve redrawing the boundaries between food and medicine (Heasman and Fmreite 1998).Functional foods symbolize the issues surrounding the wider topic of food and health and changes within the modern global food supply.
There are three major factors driving the functional food revolution (Heasman and Millentin 2001):
1. A truly ambitious health vision for the developed and developing world
2. Food companies have brought in to the market potential of a new type of consumer for health
3. Shareholder imperatives drive corporate ambition in functional foods. In highly competitive food markets with tight margins and slow-growing food sales- but shareholder demands for profit growth – functional foods are seen as a way to achieve added value growth and profitability.