Functional Foods in the European Union: Main Issues and Impact on the Food Industry

In Europe the demand for functional foods varies remarkably from country to country, on the basis of alimentary traditions, enforced legislation and different cultural heritage that. The opportunities for expansion on the market seem to be quite favorable and the interest of consumers is rather high. However, several obstacles are slowing down the diffusion of these products in the European common market area. A major one stems from the lack of an officially recognizeddefinition for these terms, necessary in order to assign clearly these products to the food sector rather than to the pharmaceutical one. It is virtually impossible to carry out a complete survey of this field, due to the lack of homogeneous and trustworthy statistical data and to the hodgepodge of definitions used for the key terms. In fact, every country adopts its own national legislation and includes different products in the class of functional foods. The different meanings that the term “functional food” has assumed in the EU member Countries could also hinder free trade, even within EU boundaries. In fact, in the name of safeguarding human health, each partner can block the admission of a product, even if it comes from another EU member country. This lack of clarity at the production phase is reflected in stricter controls at the consumption phase. Incorrect assumptions made by vendors and, consequently, by consumers, can involve some risks due not only to nutritional opportunities lost by not using functional foods, but also possible damage to health. Ambiguous definitions and gaps in knowledge regarding the composition and the effects of these products, in fact, can interfere with proper consumer awareness and also hamper the organized development of the industry.