Summer 2002 Issue — Foreword

As in several countries, consumers in the United States are responding positively to a growing array of foods containing bioactive components. From bottled water with vitamins, to eggs with enhanced levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and tea containing sulforaphane, health-enhancing and accompanying nutrition-related claims are being received with great enthusiasm by consumers who believe these will help them control their own health and destiny. Yet this category of foods is still in relatively early stages of development, particularly with regard to their underpinning scientific basis and regulatory status.

In an effort to bring some understanding and resolution to these and other key issues, the Institute of Food Technologies (IFT), the 27,000 member society for food science and technology, recently initiated the development of an Expert Report. Known for their comprehensive coverage of the state-of-the-science of emerging issues (e.g., Biotechnology and Foods and Emerging Microbiological Food Safety Issues,) IFT Expert Reports (http://www.ift.org/sci_reports) advance discussion and understanding of emerging issues in a variety of arenas, including the public policy arena. To accomplish this task for the functional foods product category, IFT is convening approximately 20 people, fully representing the breadth and depth of expertise, including nutrition science, clinical nutrition, and product development, that is needed to deliberate all pertinent aspects of the issues. The process will be initiated with thorough deliberation among all the experts in an initial in-person meeting, with multiple subsequent interactions as discussions advance and the report takes shape.

The types of issues facing this product category include: legal structure of foods, supplements, and drugs ad their regulatory situation; potential future benefits; mechanisms for demonstrating efficacy; need for product specifications; mechanisms for determining impact of processing and storage on component bioactivity; post-marketing surveillance issues; consumer education about benefits; and research needs. There is no common definition for foods in this product category. In the United States, the term "functional foods" is applied to a broad spectrum of foods ranging from conventional or standard foods for nourishment and well-being, to foods modified in their micronutrient and/or macronutrient content, and to those that have been transformed to contain various amounts of physiologically active components or ingredients conferring claimed prophylactic or therapeutic effects.

IFT, therefore, developed its own working definition to help focus attention on the broad scope and boundaries of issues that will be addressed in its Expert Report. The working definition, for the purpose of developing the report, is
"Functional foods are those that provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition to subpopulation group(s). Examples include everything from fruits and vegetables to fortified or enhanced foods, including some dietary supplements. These foods contain biologically active components and/or concentrations of essential nutrients, which may be beyond quantities necessary for normal growth and development, which impart health benefits or desirable physiological effects."
This Expert Report promises to contribute substantially to the state of scientific understanding about these foods, relative to public policy issues; further their regulatory development; and, delve into strategies for further product development and appropriate use of these products, to the benefit of consumers, regulating bodies and food manufacturers.

Meanwhile, scientists around the globe are contributing to the scientific foundation for functional foods, through additional research to further understand the impact of dietary components on health. Toward that end, my colleagues in the Department of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts are conducting research into several critical areas. These include: molecular mechanisms of various natural antioxidants, biopolymers, minerals and lipids; and, production of healthful ingredients through biotechnology, enzymology, extraction and synthesis. We're developing and assessing natural antioxidants as food protectants as well as human functional ingredients; we're stabilizing fish oils to produce products such as mayonnaise and margarines with bioactive lipids; and we're producing flavors, color antioxidants and healthful ingredients by maximizing secondary metabolite production in plants; to name just a few of our projects. Our research will contribute to the understanding of the physiological behaviour, at the molecular level, of healthful substances as food ingredients. Our studies will also enable the functional properties of ingredients, derived from plant, seafood, and animal foods, to be maximized so that more healthful and appealing functional food products can be made available.

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