Functional Food Case Study

“Functional Foods: Future’s Food or Fad?”
Caragh Moher, NHS3
Introduction:
The main purpose of the human diet is to provide adequate nutrients to meet the requirements of the individual. In recent years there has been an increased interest in the term ‘Functional Food’, there has been an increase in the scientific evidence to prove the theory that some foods and particular components of food have beneficial physiological and psychological effects greater than just providing the basic nutritional requirements. The term ‘Functional Food’ was first used by the Japanese in the 1980’s. During this period of time, the Japanese Government decided that larger consumption of certain food categories could help to limit or cut the effects of a number
People live a much faster pace lifestyle with high powered careers and time consuming jobs. These factors thus have a significant impact on the choices made by the consumer which in turn then have an impact on the health of a population. Convenience foods and fast food became hugely popular in the last decade, with better paid jobs available there was more money to spend on ready meals and fast foods. With this increase in consumption the follow on effect resulted in a huge increase in obesity levels worldwide. Ireland alone has one of the highest obesity levels in Europe. Today there is now a rise in health awareness and the problems faced by and unhealthy population as a result of this a people have now become more health conscious and healthy eating plays a vital role in this. This is where the concept of functional foods comes in, the fact that there is a possibility that certain foods can reduce the chances of developing certain disease like cardio vascular disease or that have add probiotic qualities to improve the health of the digestive system. Although much of the theories around functional foods has no definitive scientific proof yet, people are still consuming various kinds of functional foods as a methods of prevention for those serious diseases. For this reason it’s very likely that with further research into the area of functional foods that our food of
Antimicrobial resistance happens when microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites) change when they are exposed to antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics). Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others. (World Health Organisation, 2016) From this many scientists have gone back into in depth analysis of foods and there various properties which may have the potential to fight off infections and thus prevent disease, again this is all part of the branch of functional foods. As there is constant research taking place and new findings published daily there is a high probability that in the future our foods could be a major source of functional health promoting agents.
Functional foods are constantly under pressure from "better for you" foods, such as those with reduced fat or sugar content, and from organic foods. Indeed, disagreement over the food chain resulting a number of food scares has catalysed amplified demand for "pure" organic foods and could potentially damage sales of functional foods, which in some cases are viewed as "adulterated". This view is exacerbated by bad publicity regarding genetically modified foods, which are sometimes confused even