Figuring Out Functional Foods :: Holistic Healing :: Functional Foods/Nutraceuticals

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Figuring Out Functional Foods
by author Sandra Tonn

The functional food industry is growing, even though Health Canada hasn’t officially discussed regulating functional foods since 1998. Confusion is widespread, with much misunderstanding about what functional food is.

With the exception of Japan, where functional foods were developed in the mid-80s, the term "functional food" is nothing more than a marketing term. And while it is used commonly around the world, there is no consensus on its meaning. The last time Health Canada officially discussed regulating functional foods, back in 1998, their working definition was: "A functional food is similar in appearance to, or may be, a conventional food, is consumed as a part of a usual diet, and is demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions."

Today, there are as many definitions for functional foods as there are parties interested in the subject. To some, functional foods include foods proven scientifically to reduce risk of disease and increase health in a person: cranberry juice for bladder infections, soy for menopausal symptoms, flax seeds to prevent cancer, and the like. Others see functional foods as those fortified with additional, isolated or concentrated ingredients to increase healthful properties: juices with added calcium or ginseng, and cereals with increased fibre. Still others consider functional foods to be those found in the health food stores, and pharmacies as of late: food supplements such as vitamin C, bee pollen and ginseng, as well as sports bars, energy drinks and protein powders.

The scientific, agricultural, natural health, pharmaceutical and food manufacturing industries are all interested in a bite of this unique food market. And while the government continues to keep functional foods on the back burner due to opposition from health organizations, some recent regulations indirectly affect the industry.

Health Claims in the Grocery Stores

As of January 1, 2003, the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations allowed diet-related health claims on foods for the first time in Canada. The claims pertain to dietary health connections between: sodium, potassium, and hypertension; calcium, vitamin D, and osteoporosis; saturated fat, trans fat, and heart disease; and vegetables, fruit, and some types of cancer. For the health claims to be credible, they must be based on what Health Canada considers "good scientific methods."

Bill Jeffery, national coordinator of the Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says, "I’m concerned that the claims may be based on too low a standard of evidence, which would result in a need to re-educate the consumer." His concerns may be valid, as it is mainstream industry giants who are cashing in on the new claim allowances. According to Nutrition Business Journal, the top functional food companies include PepsiCo US, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft, and Coco-Cola - all famous for their processed, boxed, and canned foods.

Kellogg’s All-Bran cereal, for example, now features the following health claim on the front of the box: "A healthy diet low in saturated and trans fats may reduce the risk of heart disease. All-Bran Bran Flakes Cereal is free of saturated and trans fats." If educated consumers flip the box to the side panel, however, they will see that sugar is the cereal’s third listed ingredient (which means it represents its third largest component), and salt is the fourth&ingredients that are harmful, not helpful, in relation to heart disease.

Health Claims in the Health Stores

Canadian health food manufacturers have, for years, been unable to make health claims on natural health products (NHPs) as they have been considered "foods" by law. Glucosamine sulphate, for example, which has been clinically proven in double-blind studies to reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis, could be labelled only as a dietary supplement. As of January 1, 2004, however, NHPs will be regulated as a subset of drugs.

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Former editor of alive journal and Canadaâ€™s Healthy Living Guide, Sandra Tonn is a freelance natural health journalist, holistic nutrition consultant, and natural health speaker in Vancouver, BC. E-mail: sandra_tonn@telus.net

Source: alive #256, February 2004

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