Functional Food Pro and Contra: This article shows the advantages and disadvantages of functional food.
Functional Food Pros and Cons: What’s in it?
Anyone who goes to the supermarket today to buy food has to ask himself a question of conscience time and again in many places in front of the bulging shelves: Do you take the cheapest product to save money, the branded product to support Germany as a business location or the additional vitamins to do something good for health?
It is no longer so easy to just reach for a yoghurt.
There is now a wide range of probiotic right- or left-turning, intestinal flora stimulating or immune system strengthening dairy products. Cholesterol is lowered by choosing the right margarine and the table salt with the iodine or fluorine addition and the ACE breakfast juice almost automatically end up in the shopping trolley.
Admittedly, it sounds promising: eating and doing something really good for the body. Why not?? It is no coincidence that year after year more and more consumers spend money on the so-called Functional Food, which, in addition to real or alleged health benefits, is supposed to increase or really prepare their general well-being.
Functional Food Pros and Cons: But what do the products really hold?
Is one yoghurt or fitness bar a day enough to stay healthy? Goodbye to the gym? Well, it’s not that simple and far away with functional food. The fact is that the food industry has opened up a lucrative new market here, because who wouldn’t be prepared to dig deeper into their pockets for their own well-being?
In any case, you can earn a lot with it.
Whether the consumer really gets what he hopes for with every product, however, is questionable. After all, the term functional food is not even legally defined and clearly defined. Thus, in principle, any food with an addition of vitamins (whether it makes sense in any case or not, remains to be seen) can be called “functional”.
Scientists have therefore been demanding for some time that the advertised effects of functional foods must also be verifiable by research results. Among other things, the Health Claims Regulation, which will apply from this year, is intended to ensure this. The European Food Safety Authority compiles a positive list in which research results on the health benefits of certain foods can be read.
In future, food producers will only be allowed to use the information proclaimed in this list for advertising purposes; statements relating to the cure of certain diseases are still prohibited.
However, studies that have shown that functional food has a clear advantage over “normal” foods and healthy lifestyles with sufficient exercise have so far hardly been available. The difference usually lies in the price. And the good conscience or hope you buy yourself. But that can also be earned.
The way to the gym, the way to work with the bicycle and enjoying the most natural food would be the first steps. And be sure: this works!
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