Functional Foods and Health Claims Legislation: Applications to Dairy Foods

• Published in: International dairy journal Vol. 8; no. 5; pp. 355 - 362
• Main Authors: Berner, Louise A., O’Donnell, Joseph A.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.05.1998; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Food industries; functional foods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; health claims; Milk and cheese industries. Ice creams; probiotic dairy foods; Research and development. New food products, dietetic foods and beverages; United States; North America; America; health claims; functional foods; probiotic dairy foods; Probiotic; Health food; Legislation; Dairy product; Labelling; Public information; Food supplement; Prebiotics
• ISSN: 0958-6946; 1879-0143
• DOI: 10.1016/S0958-6946(98)00058-2

The purpose of this paper is to consider the regulatory status of functional foods and claims that can be made regarding their health-promoting properties, with emphasis on the situation in the US. Specific examples highlight probiotics, prebiotics, and cultures-added dairy foods. In the US, there is no legal definition of a functional food. The US Food and Drug Administration regulates four categories of foods: conventional foods, foods for special dietary use, medical foods, and dietary supplements. Three types of health-related messages can appear under certain conditions on food labels. Nutrient content claims and approved health claims can appear on all qualifying foods, while structure/function claims are allowed on dietary supplements. (Medical foods are exempt from all nutrition labeling regulations.) Currently, there are no allowed health claims for probiotics, prebiotics, or cultures-added dairy foods in the US. Several approaches for taking advantage of ‘functional’ dairy foods in the US are outlined.