> Holistic Healing > Functional Foods/Nutraceuticals

What are Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals?
by author Elisabeth Abergel, PhD

On Oct. 30, 2001, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) held a public forum on plant molecular farming, defined by the CFIA as "the use of plants in agriculture to produce biomolecules instead of food, feed and fibre." This includes new plant varieties (obtained mostly through genetic engineering but also including conventionally bred plants) that are "harvested for scientifically, medically or industrially useful biomolecules."

Currently, no regulations apply to the products of molecular farming. None of these foods are commercially available; they are still at the experimental stage. The CFIA has been seeking input from Canadian "stakeholders" in an effort to draft guidelines expected this spring. You may recognize the products of molecular farming as nutraceuticals, functional foods, pharma-foods, designer foods or value-added foods.

The fact that certain foods or food ingredients are good for your health is not new. In fact, non-genetically modified functional foods are already on the market, usually carrying some health claim. In this case, processing is used to either add or remove substances from foods, such as adding calcium to orange juice or reducing sodium or fat. However, second generation genetically modified (GM) crops will allow the mass production of functional foods using the techniques of genetic engineering. This raises a whole range of new environmental and human health questions. Is the status of the technology such that we are capable of anticipating all the risks?

Defining "nutraceuticals" and "functional foods" has furthermore proven difficult and mystifying. The terms are often used interchangeably, but Health Canada proposes the following definitions: A nutraceutical is "a product isolated or purified from foods that is generally sold in medicinal forms not usually associated with food. A nutraceutical is demonstrated to have a physiological benefit or provide protection against chronic disease." A functional food, on the other hand, is "similar in appearance to, or may be, a conventional food, but is consumed as part of a usual diet, and is demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions."

But what exactly are functional foods and/or nutraceuticals? Are they foods or drugs? Should they be considered dietary supplements or medical foods to be prescribed? What kind of health claims can they carry and what type of evidence is needed to support such claims?

From a nutritional standpoint, GM functional foods raise many questions. First of all, nutritionists worry about their efficacy and the lack of comprehensive studies showing direct benefits to human health. Health claims that certain functional foods will lower cholesterol or prevent cancer are difficult if not impossible to substantiate. Second, even if an ingredient is good for you, too much of it can be damaging. These are just a sampling of the complex questions that the CFIA’s new regulations are meant to deal with.

What benefits can consumers gain from nutraceuticals? One of the main criticisms against first generation GM crops was their lack of consumer appeal. These crops were primarily designed to tolerate herbicides or produce pesticides and were exclusively aimed at farmers, with no direct benefits for consumers. Functional foods, on the other hand, seem to offer just that. Are they intended to redeem the past mistakes of the biotechnology industry?

Critics argue that second generation crops designed to solve health and hunger problems in developing countries are simply a public relations exercise. Most of the scientific research on functional foods, it seems, is intended for consumers in rich countries. It’s a known fact that the leading cause of malnutrition and disease is poverty, so people on low incomes or from developing countries are clearly not targeted. Biotech companies are working on the nutritional enhancement of foods–products like potatoes with modified starch for better french fries or slow-ripening melons. Industry analysts believe that these consumer benefits could turn the debate on genetically modified foods. This remains to be seen.

Elisabeth Abergel is a food and biotechnology analyst with a PhD in environmental studies.

Source: alive #232, February 2002