Functional Food and Claims: Concepts, Strategy of Development, Requirements for the Scientific Substantiation of Claims, and Communication with Consumers

Functional food has been introduced as a new concept because the science of nutrition has changed. During the 20th century, nutritionists have discovered the essential nutrients, and they have established nutrient standards (Dietary Reference Intakes), dietary guidelines, and food guides (Figure 1.1). The main objectives of nutrition research was to make recommendations in order to support body growth, maintenance, and development; to prevent nutrient deficiencies

; and, more recently, to avoid excessive consumption of some of these nutrients after recognizing their potential role in the etiology of miscellaneous (mostly chronic) diseases.