IFT Releases Functional Foods Report

IFT Releases Functional Foods Report

WASHINGTONFunctional foodscould be a powerful means of protecting public health, according to a reportreleased here by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).

The report, Functional Foods: Opportunities and Challenges (www.ift.org/ExpertReport),recommends accelerated research and development, and regulation and marketing offunctional foods to ensure the greatest benefit on public health.

Other recommendations given by the report include increasedresearch on traditional nutrients and other bioactive food components; the intersection of genomics and molecular nutrition; the useof Generally Recognized as Efficacious nomenclature, patterned after theFood and Drug Administrations (FDA) Generally Recognized as Safereview; and the use of economic incentives including tax breaks and marketexclusivity as catalysts for increasing food company investment in functionalfood research.

Functional foods should be integral components of publichealth programs to reduce the risk of specific diseases, said FergusClydesdale, Ph.D., chair of the IFT Expert Panel and co-author of the report.The functional foods currently available represent only a fraction of thepotential opportunities for consumers to manage their health through diet.