JapanThe Inventor of Functional Foods United StatesA Good System
Gone Bad United KingdomChaos Reigns Supreme Food processors are
increasingly marketing so-called functional foods, i.e., foods
with added ingredients that claim to provide a health benefit to
consumers beyond the benefits provided by ordinary foods
themselves. Such products have also been referred to as
nutraceuticals or designer foods. Foods with ingredients added
to support express health claims are already on the market in
Japan, Europe, and the United States. For example, in the U.S.,
breakfast cereals with psyllium, a grain rich in soluble fiber,
claim that they can help reduce cholesterol when consumed as
part of a low fat, low cholesterol diet. In Japan, however,
cocoa-based products claim to provide the same benefit. There is
no question that some foods with added components may offer
particular health benefits. For example, the importance of
adding vitamins and minerals to processed foods has long been
recognized as vital to compensatin