|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There was a food fight in Washington in December, but it had nothing to do with the looming political power shift in the congressional dining halls. Instead, government officials met to discuss potential regulations for so-called functional foods.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no formal definition for functional foods, but cites the Institute of Food Technologists definition: foods and food components that provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition. Tahitian Noni juice, derived from the morinda citrifolia fruit in the South Pacific, is one example. Tahitian Noni's manufacturers claim it can "improve diabetes" in addition to many other illnesses and diseases.
But critics are building momentum to rein in claims by some manufacturers that their food products have medical benefits. The public has little assurance that the claims are legitimate and needs further guidance from federal agencies in making informed decisions, a 2000 report by the Government Accountability Office (then the General Accounting Office) concludes.1 The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) even jumped into the fray by offering a guidance document for consumers in 2001 (see "FYI").
The FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition convened a public hearing on the matter December 5. At issue is how the agency should regulate functional foods under existing legal authority. Government regulators heard from the public on whether functional foods should have a formal definition with a unique set of regulations and whether manufacturers' claims should be evaluated.
FDA officials say existing food safety rules are adequate for regulating functional foods, but held the meeting in light of mounting concerns over safety, detailed in part in a petition filed by the Washington, D.C.–based Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). CSPI urged the FDA to require companies to seek FDA approval before marketing new functional foods, a step that currently is not required if the ingredients are considered safe.
The most important point from the health care provider's perspective is to involve a registered dietitian in planning a patient's diet, says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADietA). The ADietA published a position paper on functional foods in 2004 (see "FYI").2
"Patients should be aware that nearly all normal nutritional needs can be met through a balanced and varied diet, and that specific foods may have substances in them which promote health," Gerbstadt says. "Patients may choose to include specific foods to optimize their personal needs, and a registered dietitian is educated and able to assist them in this regard."
Existing labeling regulations cover whether a health claim can be printed
on food labels, Gerbstadt notes, and individuals wanting a personalized plan
using functional foods wouldn't benefit from further FDA regulation.
Footnotes
The FTC guidance document "`Miracle' Health Claims: Add a Dose of Skepticism" can be accessed at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/health/frdheal.htm.
References
2. Hasler CM, Bloch AS, Thomson CA, et al.: Position of the American Dietetic Association: Functional foods. J Am Diet Assoc 104:814–826, 2004.[Medline]
CiteULike 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||
|
| DOC News | Diabetes | Diabetes Care | Clinical Diabetes | Diabetes Spectrum |
