Marine-Derived Functional Foods: Claims and Current Legislation

Abstract

Functional foods are defined as foods that have disease-preventing and/or health-promoting benefits in addition to their basic nutritive value (Southon, S. 2000. Factors to consider when undertaking clinical trials for functional foods. In Functional foods II, claims and evidence, ed. J. Buttriss and M. Saltmarsh, 3–8. Cambridge: The Royal Society of Chemistry). Marine-derived bioactive compounds fit convincingly within this definition and they may be used as functional food ingredients. For example, marine-derived dietary fibers including oligosaccharides such as fucoidan, can be viewed as functional food ingredients as they can impart health benefits to the consumer beyond those associated with basic nutrition. However, consumers require clarification regarding the concept of functional foods. It is now necessary, in Europe, to define the actual health benefit of a particular functional food due to regulations introduced by the European Union (that are discussed in this chapter) and the formation of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Marketing of food ingredients as “bioactives with health benefits” now requires substantial scientific substantiation in Europe and it is now necessary to provide evidence of any benefit before any health claims can be made on a functional food product. The European Commission Concerted Action on Functional Food Science in Europe (FUFOSE), coordinated by the International Life Sciences Institute – ILSI Europe, was established in 1986 to establish a science-based approach for concepts in functional foods. The aims of FUFOSE were:

• To assess critically the science base required to provide evidence that specific nutrients and food components positively affect target functions in the body

• To examine the available science from a function-driven perspective rather than a product-driven one

• To reach consensus on targeted modifications of food and food constituents, and options for their application (Diplock et al. 1999)