A proposal for the establishment of scientific criteria for health claims for functional foods.
Functional foods are defined and used differently in different nations. Health claims for these foods influence consumer behavior and potentially affect public health. In an increasingly global economy, health claims for functional foods should meet internationally agreed upon scientific criteria. The concept of health claims as it exists internationally is discussed, and suggestions to assist consumers, government, industry, and academia in deciding on a scientific and ethical basis for international agreement on health claims for functional foods are offered.
Clydesdale
F M
FM
Department of Food Science, Chenoweth Laboratory, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003, USA.
D003257:Consumer Product Safety / Q000592:standards*; D004995:Ethics, Professional; D005515:Food Labeling / Q000592:standards*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009753:Nutritive Value; D011634:Public Health; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration