Chapter 1: Scope and Current Status of Functional Foods: The SDGs Perspective

The concept of functional food began in Japan in 1980 with different food items being enriched or fortified with special constituents or bio-active components that exert some sort of positive health effect. Functional foods are also known as nutraceuticals, pharma, designer or therapeutic food items and aim to treat and prevent diseases. Functional foods have many positive health effects due to their multivariate properties like antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiviral characteristics used in treating, for example, cardiovascular issues, diabetes mellitus, immune system-related disorders and osteoporosis. The term ‘functional food’ is already in use by various scientific institutions but is still not yet legislative terminology or with a universally accepted definition. The definitions of the term ‘functional food’ defined by different scientific and regulatory bodies are listed below:

IFT (Institute of Food Technologies) has described functional foods as any food items or part of a food item that may be fortified or enriched with a particular bioactive component that is necessary to meet physiological requirements, and beyond basic nutrition also has a certain positive health effect that is necessary for proper growth and development of the human body. IFIC (International Food Information Council) has also defined functional food is any food component that gives a health benefit apart from the basic nutrition. Another definition provided by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Science (USA) has discussed the concept of functional food as any edible ingredient of food or customized food that gives some sort of health benefits beyond meeting the basic food and nutritional requirements. In India, FSSAI (Food Safety Standard Authority of India) has defined the term functional food as any food item that is derived naturally and when consumed as part of a daily meal has a defined health effect. Moreover, functional foods are naturally occurring food items and not in the form of a capsule, tablet or powder.

So, the different types of functional food are derived naturally from different sources and thus can be used in food products for their health benefits (Figure 1.1).

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) were designed and implemented by United Nation General Assembly (UNGA), covering 193 nations under one roof, with title Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda. They are built on the simple and novel principle: “The future we want”. The SDGs were framed in 2015 to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were going to terminate in that year. UNGA formally enunciated and embraced an Agenda in July 2017 and termed it the 2030 Agenda, with 17 specific goals to be achieved by the year 2030.²  By keeping sustainability at its center, the first five SDGs highlight different aspects of the economy to focus on the overall well-being of humanity with the aims of eradicating poverty and recurrent episodes of hunger and increasing quality education and gender equality. The next five SDGs focus on basic facilities of personal hygiene and quality of life, including availability of clean drinking water, healthy hygiene and sanitation practices, and accessible clean energy sources.³  Moreover, the right to equal wages for both sexes is also one of the SDGs, being necessary for the growth of the economy and to decrease inequality. The SDGs are not limited to these basic things but also place emphasis on there being peace and equal justice to all.^4–6  They also focus on new innovation and the latest technologies in the industrial sector for growth of the current economy. The UNGA set the goal of achieving all 17 SDGs by 2030, but it does not guarantee that all the goals will be fully achieved by that deadline.

1. No poverty: There are seven targets that are aim to eradicate poverty and provide equal wages to all individuals. Gender biases in terms of employment opportunities should be avoided completely in all sectors. Moreover, they also ensure implementation of social protection systems for security or facilitation of human rights (Ritche and Ortiz 2018).⁷ 

2. Zero hunger: Each and every person in this world shall have access to daily nutritious meals. This goal can be achieved when agricultural production at the global level is sufficient to meet the food and nutritional requirements of every individual. Moreover, to eliminate the incidence of malnutrition especially, hidden hunger can be eliminated by production of fortified crops such as genetically modified foods and adoption of integrated food system models. Use of the latest research methodologies and technological application of innovative ideas are needed to accomplish to achieve this target. Trade restrictions can also play a vital role to decrease the incidence of both hunger and malnutrition.

3. General health and wellbeing: This SDG focuses on reducing mortality, whether child mortality or any disease-related mortality. Road accidents and death from certain hazards or incidental attacks should be prevented. Moreover, consumption of any dangerous or addictive substance and use of tobacco or nicotine should be banned completely. Basically, this goal focuses on the general health and wellbeing of individuals to improve quality of life and also to enhance the life expectancy.

4. Quality of education: This SDG focusses on the quality of education to all people to improve the economic growth of nations on a global level. It also focusses on imparting skill-based vocational education to give financial independence. This SDG also aims to improve current existing education patterns and to increase the number of academic scholarships to generate more job opportunities in under-developed and developing nations.

5. Gender equality: Both genders should have equal opportunities and rights in all sectors and across all the world. This SDG also demands that there should be a legal scaffold so that both sexes have equal opportunities in all working sectors. Moreover, this SDG also aims to reduce episodes of child marriages and forced marriages with the aim to “leave no one behind”. Restrictions on mutilation and female genital cutting should be monitored exactingly. So, gender equality is also one of the SDGs to help to create a peaceful working environment for both sexes along with respect of females in society.

6. Clean water and sanitation: Availability of fresh clean drinkable water along with healthy sanitation facilities is an important target of an SDG that is to be achieved by 2030.⁷  It also targets having a closed toilet system for every household so that open defecation is prevented and diseases occurring from open defecation are reduced. Moreover, waste water treatment should be done so that the ecosystem and water channels can be restored.⁸ 

7. Affordable and clean energy: Production of energy should be affordable and clean. Moreover, access to electricity and use of renewable energy channels should be expanded in a number of countries, especially India, Bangladesh and Kenya.⁹  This SDG also aims to improve energy services in developing countries, along with sufficient funds for affordable and clean energy production and the infrastructure associated with it.

8. Decent work and economic growth: This SDG targets economic growth by reducing youth unemployment, occupational hazards or injuries, and more options of employment for women. Equal employment opportunities and equal rights to all individuals are the main basis of this SDG. Moreover, this target also aims to ensure a greater number of job opportunities and to encourage enterprise so that diversity in trade and economic growth can be achieved by 2030. It also aims to have equal wages to both sexes and promotes skill-based training to young people. This target also focuses on improving work culture and promotes healthy work environments for all individuals at all work places. Child labor should be avoided in all spheres and safe working environments for women created. Economic growth can also be affected by tourism so emphasis on tourism is also one of the objectives of this SDG.² 

9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure: This SDG is aimed at increasing access to IT services by applying the latest research and development technologies. Development of resilient infrastructure and fiscal services to promote industrialization is also one of the missions of this SDG to be achieved by 2030.

10. Reduced inequalities: This SDG demands reduced income inequalities and discrimination in all spheres related to the economic growth of a country. Reducing all sorts of inequalities or discrimination in terms of social, economic, political or any other inequality that hinder or obstruct economic growth. This SDG also aims at reduction of the cost transportation services and promotion of global finance markets. It also aims to develop social policies that can initiate equality in all spheres.

11. Sustainable cities and communities: This SDG targets meeting the basic requirements of reasonable and sustainable transport systems. This SDG also focuses on the reduction of adverse environmental conditions of urban areas and natural disasters. Moreover, it also ensures protection of our cultural heritage parks, museums and other natural sites to attract tourism. It also targets sustainable policies and regulations to preserve natural resources to decrease disasters occurring.

12. Responsible consumption and production: This target aims to have efficient use of natural resources along with good practices of post-harvest management of horticultural produce, so that food with good quality and quantity is accessible. Wastage of any food from production to final consumption should be avoided. The triple R approach of reduce, recycle and reuse can be promoted through activities at grass root level. This SDG also targets strengthening public distribution systems to give equal access to basic food to meet nutritional security at the household level. Moreover, it also focus on the development and strengthening of the research and development sector to monitor the achievement of these goals.

13. Climate action: This SDG aims integrate climate change-based policy and procedures to reduce the risk of climate change. For this purpose, 2023 was declared International Year of Millets (IYM) by UNGA in March 2021 to initiate cultivation of different millets under the change of climatic conditions around the globe.

14. Life below water: This SDG aims to reduce water pollution at all levels, for example associated with marine farming, acidity of the ocean and plastic pollution. Moreover, it also focuses on decreasing excessive subsidies of fish rearing or marine businesses so that over fishing can be prevented.¹⁰  Rules and regulations associated with international maritime law and to stop marine pollution should be followed strictly.

15. Life on land: This SDG aims to conserve and maintains the ecosystem by prohibition of practices related to cutting of forests and destruction of natural resources. This SDG also aims to have a healthy life on Earth by protecting the habitat of natural species and conserving the resources of our ecosystem in a planned and scientific way.

16. Peace, justice and strong institutions: This SDG aims to target frequent episodes of attack, violence and other abuse at domestic and work places. Moreover, children should be protected from any sort of exploitation, violence and trafficking. This SDG also demands equal justice and liberty for all individuals and reduction of corruption.

17. Partnerships for the goals: This SDG targets implementation and revival of global partnerships to achieve the above-stated sixteen goals. Moreover, this goal also focuses on reinforcing co-ordination between different developed and developing nations. Further, this goal also aims to improve public–private partnerships between different zones likes north–south and south–south in five major spheres of finance, technology, infrastructure and trade.¹¹ 

The functional foods available in the global market are of various types such as for sports nutrition, management of weight, health, immunity boosting, etc. There is an increased demand of functional foods for treating various health issues like heart diseases, cardiovascular diseases, congenital heart defects, etc. Sports enthusiasts require food that is rich in vitamins, protein, and increases muscular endurance and strength, which in turn impacts the demand for functional foods. Some kinds of functional foods improve digestion and also lower the risk of cardiovascular disease as well as diabetes. The demand for functional foods in the sports nutrition sector is expected to increase at CAGR 10% between 2022 and 2030.¹² 

According to statistics for the year 2021, the market for functional foods in the immunity application sector was valued at 57.6 billion USD. A person’s immune system defends them against various infections. Functional foods are a rich source of antioxidants, a variety of vitamins, nucleotides, fatty acids, along with l-arginine that promotes immune response. Preventative medicine and immunity boosters became popular worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aforementioned products also suppress cellular immunity in addition to lowering plasma triglyceride levels. Owing to these factors the market is anticipated to grow rapidly.

The North American functional food market accounted for 24.7% of global revenues in 2021. Immunity, weight management, digestive health, and cardio health make up the major segments of the North American market. As fitness interests grow among consumers in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, functional foods and drinks are expected to be in high demand. Millennials’ preference for protein bars and cookies as well as shakes as healthy snack choices is also expected to increase the demand for functional foods in North America over the coming years. As a result of a burgeoning population and rising disposable incomes, the Asia–Pacific market for functional foods during the year 2021 was 35.8%. Developing economies are experiencing rapid growth in the consumption of processed food and also increased awareness regarding health and fitness. Due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, consumer awareness and concerns regarding food safety are increasing, which is driving market growth in the region.

A highly competitive market exists for functional foods, with both public and private companies are focusing their attention on research and development so as to have innovative products. Public companies follow a proactive approach in order to gain advantage in the market. There is a likelihood that privately owned market participants will follow suit in the near future. Recent years have seen significant advancements in the functional foods market in terms of product innovation as well as portfolio expansion. Arla Foods Ingredients, for instance, launched a juice drink which was enriched with protein during March 2021 by using Lacprodan ISO for fortifying the beverages. The global functional food market has many important companies, which include the Coca-Cola Company, Amway Corp, Arla Foods amba, Inc., Standard Functional Foods Group, Herbalife International of America, Inc. and many others.¹² 

The definition of functional foods varies from organization to organization. All definitions of functional food agree that they are food products that have been altered to impart additional health benefits and reduce disease risk. Various sources and ingredients can be used to make functional foods, including plants, fruits and vegetables, animals, probiotics, and prebiotics. Therefore, functional foods may be classified based upon the product and also the ingredients present in them.

In addition to amino acids (like glycine, cysteine and methionine, etc.), meat also contains vitamins such as linolic acid, taurine, and creatine.¹³  A functional food can be made from it by adding nutritional components like fish oil, natural extracts, and fiber from nuts. For example, a functional beverage that promotes joint health can be made by extracting chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine from bovine skin. There is also abundant use of eggs in the market, and their enrichment with omega-3 can reduce the risk of ischemic heart disease. It has been recommended to add linseed or flaxseed to the hens’ diet in order to increase the concentration of linolic acid in the egg. In addition, fish oil can also be added to the hens’ diet to increase its linolic acid content. As a result of this technique, the egg yolk may have a fishy taste, which is regarded as an undesirable characteristic.¹⁴ 

There are many nutrients in dairy products, including proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Proteins and peptides in dairy-based products can help decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, myocardial infarction, and stroke. In some products, functional peptides having the sequences of valine–proline–proline and isoleucine–proline–proline have been added to alter their properties, including β-lactoglobulin and glycomacropeptides (GMP), which provide enhanced protection against viral and bacterial infections.¹⁵ 

Many diseases have been treated with herbs for thousands of years.¹⁶  In addition to polyphenols, they can contain caffeic acids and tannic acids, which can chelate iron, which may reduce the effects of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.¹⁷  In addition to scavenging free radicals, propolis has been shown to protect against myocardial damage. The neuroprotective properties of curcumin have been demonstrated through its ability to modify inflammatory cytokines, reduce oxidized proteins, and increase interleukin-1β. As reported by Agarwal and Harikumar (2009), curcumin inhibited oxidative damage and inflammation in neurons as well as cognitive deficits due to oxidative damage.¹⁸  Hence, incorporating herbal extracts into food products can prevent diseases and promote health.

Various fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances that have cardioprotective properties that promote health. There are many polyphenols found in berry fruits, such as flavonols, catechins, anthocyanins, phenolic acids such as hydroxycinnamic acids, and also tannins such as proanthocyanins and ellagitannins, which are among the most significant because of their anti-inflammatory properties.¹⁹  A study also reported that the phytochemical resveratrol in red grapes was effective at modifying lipids and enhancing antioxidant activity. The carotenoid lycopene can be found primarily in tomatoes and serves as an antioxidant, reducing oxidative stress, hypertension, and atherosclerosis.²⁰ 

There are an incredible number of species in the marine environment, including marine plants, microorganisms, sponges, fish, and many others. Aquatic environments provide a wealth of functional compounds such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, glucosamine, chitosan/chitosan oligosaccharides, xanthophylls, carotenoids as well as marine enzymes and protein hydrolysates.²¹ 

A probiotic is a live microorganism, usually a bacterium, that when consumed in enough numbers can be beneficial to the consumer. Intestinal bacteria consume prebiotics or oligosaccharides which cannot be digested by the human enzymes. They promote bacterial growth and have health benefits for the host.²²  Researchers have investigated Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria as probiotic strains for use in functional foods.^19,23 

In order to enhance the nutritional value of foodstuffs, different strategies and technologies have been used. There has recently been a lot of interest in vacuum impregnation as an emerging technology in food science and technology. In this technique, a liquid medium having bioactive compounds is introduced inside solid porous food through capillary pressure replacing internal gas.²⁴  This method has been used to increase the nutritional quality of a variety of foods, such as adding polyphenols to ready-to-eat sweet potatoes,²⁵  adding ascorbic acid to potato tubers,²⁶  adding calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin E to potato snacks²⁷  and adding Lactobacillus casei to apple cylinders.²⁸ 

Conditions such as low pH and gastrointestinal issues can have detrimental effects on bioactive ingredients. Consequently, encapsulation is a practical approach that encloses bioactive compounds in a variety of non-toxic materials in order to protect them against various adverse conditions.²⁹  Proteins,³⁰  lipids,³¹  polysaccharides,^32,33  hydrogels³⁴  and metal–organic frameworks, or a combination of them, are commonly used for encapsulation and controlled release in the field of food science.^35,36  Recently, many new and innovative technologies have been studied by various researchers for the encapsulation of bioactive compounds. For example, spray chilling and electrospinning are widely used for the process of encapsulation.³⁷  There are two types of carriers: nanocarriers and microcarriers.^38,39  Nanocarriers are mostly used for bioactive compounds whereas microcarriers can be used for probiotics as well as bioactive compounds.⁴⁰ 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not recognize functional foods as a unique product class and does not have a legal definition. Although functional foods are mainly a marketing tool, they have received considerable attention from researchers. As defined by various sources, functional foods refer to foods that are enhanced to produce some health benefit. Generally, the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 1938 (the Act) applies to all foods including functional foods; therefore these foods are regulated by the FDA as conventional foods. As a matter of regulatory policy, conventional foods (including functional foods) and dietary supplements must prove their safety. As a result, the Act prohibits the marketing of any food product unless it is determined to be safe. Food safety has traditionally not been weighed in favor of risk or benefit, as it is for drugs. Food products must meet statutory safety standards regardless of their effectiveness.^41–43 

There were no safety standards governing dietary supplements or functional foods before 1994. As a food additive, ingredients have to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS) or undergo a pre-marketing approval process if they are not GRAS. As a result, either the FDA or the manufacturer determined that the ingredients were GRAS or, if the food additive was newly approved, the manufacturer submitted relevant safety data. Regulations and guidance documents outline the review process and data requirements for food additive petitions. Manufacturers are generally required to convene expert review boards to determine the GRAS status, as recommended by the agency.

The Food and Drug Administration has kept a close eye on the incorporation of dietary supplement ingredients into conventional foods. Considering that dietary supplements have a different regulatory framework than traditional foods in terms of safety and other provisions, the agency is concerned that dietary supplement ingredients meet the appropriate safety standards for conventional foods when they are added to conventional foods. This means that they are GRAS for their intended use or approved as food additives. The standards for additions to conventional foods must be met for functional foods, which means that functional foods cannot simply be made by adding a dietary supplement ingredient to a conventional food without ensuring that the ingredient is safe in consumption of the food. Functional foods can only be made by adding an ingredient that is safe for food consumption. As with conventional foods, functional foods must adhere to all the specific requirements. In order to maintain a sufficient knowledge-base to ensure safety, the FDA and manufacturers should keep pace with the growing interest in this area.⁴⁴ 

Regulations determine which regulatory category a product falls into based on its intended use, not its chemical composition or other characteristics. The FDA considers all products intended for diagnosing, treating, preventing, curing, or mitigating diseases to be drugs regardless of the ingredient’s origin. Manufacturers’ claims about their products determine how the FDA reviews and regulates their products, based on the nature of their claimed effect. As far as advertising is concerned, primarily the FTC (U.S. Federal Trade Commission) regulates it, and does not make any distinctions. Keeping aside the claims about the nutrient content, mainly two types of claims are examined for functional foods and dietary supplements. One claim is related to health which focuses on reducing the risk of disease in the context of a daily diet plan. The second claim is related to effects on the structure or function of the body. A product which claims its role in curing or preventing a disease is being considered as a drug.

Traditionally, food-like effects have been required for structure or function claims for conventional as well functional foods. The 1994 U.S. Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) expanded the labeling of dietary supplements to include non-food like claims as well as food-like claims. According to these 1994 provisions, manufacturers of dietary supplements are required to use the standard label disclaimer (“This statement has not been assessed by FDA”). Whenever a structure/function claim is used on a product label, the FDA must receive a notification detailing how the claim is worded within 30 days of the product’s marketing and that it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. When manufacturers submit claims that imply a treatment for a disease, the FDA often informs them that their claims should not be used. A specific restriction of the DSHEA is that dietary supplements cannot masquerade as conventional foods. Unlike conventional foods (such as cereals and candy bars), dietary supplements cannot represent themselves as conventional foods, despite the fact that they can take the shape of such foods. Therefore, a dietary supplement bar product with a dietary supplement label (i.e. with the dietary supplement facts panel rather than the nutrition facts panel) would be acceptable from a regulatory standpoint. The product would be subject to regulation as a conventional food if, for example, the labeling indicates that it is a snack food or a substitute for candy bars.

The FDA has the authority to take action for false or misleading claims under current regulations, but its substantiation approach is case-by-case. Furthermore, there is the misconception that structure/function claims are simply “emerging” health claims. It is not relevant to structure/function claims to provide data about the effects of disease, since structure/function claims are by definition not about disease, either implied or inferred. Generally, structure/function claims focus on maintenance, support, and the promotion of health. As dietary supplements and functional foods become more widely available, appropriate regulatory strategies and supporting scientific underpinnings are emerging. To provide consumers with safe and effective products that have meaningful claims, many components of society must contribute to the system over the next few years. A critical aspect of public health policy in maintaining consumer trust in the food supply should also to be taken care of when formulating claims.

This chapter highlights that major SDGs, that is SDG 1 (no poverty) and SDG 2 (zero hunger), should be met by 2030. The consumption of different types of functional foods from naturally derived sources exerts a positive health effect to meet the SDGs pertaining to especially hunger and malnutrition, in terms of under-nutrition, over-nutrition, specific nutrient deficiency and imbalance of nutrition. Moreover, label claims for functional foods products should also be taken care off.