Why Are Functional Foods Being Developed?
The term, functional food has no clear scientific basis or legal definition. It is primarily a marketing term coined in Japan in the 1980s and such foods may also be referred to as designer foods, nutritionally enhanced foods or nutraceuticals. For the purpose of this briefing, functional foods are defined as foods with ingredients that claim to provide a health benefit to consumers beyond the nutritional benefits ordinarily provided by the foods themselves1. Non-GM functional food products already available in the UK include yoghurts with bio cultures, spreads with cholesterol-lowering compounds, bread with fish oil, and soft drinks with added fibre. The market for functional foods is being developed in response to the growing public interest in the links between diet and health. Foods with enhanced nutritional benefits are seen by companies as a way to achieve added-value growth and profitability in an otherwise highly competitive food market with tight margins and slowly growing foo
