If we want Functional Food the FDA has to Change How they Regulate Functional Ingredients

The FDA has no clue how to regulate Functional Food

“Functional Food” is an unfolding trend that is taking our understanding of food and turning it into something that we don’t just eat, but serves a larger part of our wellbeing.

Because of this, innovation in the healthy snack category is increasingly demonstrating consumers preference around functional or, rather, good for you ingredients that not only taste good but perhaps also serve as your daily intake of protein, fiber or added nootropics and adaptogens to relieve stress, promote cell regeneration and improve heart health.

The FDA currently regulates ingredients in packaged food based off of the nutritional component, not what the ingredients may or may not do for you. This forces functional food to walk a thin line between what the FDA considers food and what they deem a supplement. By FDA standards a brand cannot label the “effects” of the food, but rather the nutritional composition of the food. Whereas, when it comes to supplements brands have a wider range of how they can advertise the affects an ingredient may have on your energy levels, mental ability, or health outcome.

To understand the difference better. Nutritional components of foods are things like protein, total fat, saturated fat, total carbs, sugars and sodiums. We see these types of nutrition panels listed on the back of any packaged food we pick up at the grocery store.

Whereas, dietary supplements emphasize the effects derived from the nutrients. For example a brand can make a claim about affects on the body by focusing on one component found in one of the ingredients, such as “With Vitamin D for a Happier Mood”. A packaged food in this sense would not be able to make a claim about Vitamin D making a person happier.

Functional food is an exciting and evolving concept that exists in a somewhat ambiguous regulatory space defined by the FDA. With consumers becoming more health-conscious, they are seeking ways to indulge in food without compromising their wellbeing. As a result, they are gravitating towards snacks that offer added benefits, such as improved health, wellbeing, and mental clarity. This growing trend demonstrates a strong desire among consumers to prioritize their health and invest in products that provide added value beyond mere taste.

The FDA is struggling to keep up as their regulatory requirements are lagging behind evolving consumer preferences.

A recent push by The FDA called for alternative milks made from soy, oat and almond to use labeling that would indicate the milk is not from cows, and could contain less nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D and magnesium than traditional milk (duh). The proposition was was denied such requirements as regulators said consumers know the difference (but do they?). The needed guidelines are aimed at providing consumers with honest nutritional information. A clear example of how the labeling of newer types of foods are treading murky waters.

Another example of The FDA cracking down on food labeling regulations is the Administration’s recent stance on foods that can be labeled as “healthy”. This guideline would require products to meet specific nutritional components in order to be labeled as healthy. This leads us to question; What does the government consider to be healthy? — We know by recent standards the government has proposed that soda and chips was healthier for you than red meat (that doesn’t seem right).

Claims such as “Cake Could be the Secret of Teaching Kids About Healthy-Eating” fool consumers into thinking it is, in fact, ok to feed your kids cake for breakfast.

But it is safe to assume the cake won’t pass the proposed definitions criteria, which proposes that in order to label a packaged good as “healthy” the product would need to adhere to specific limits of certain nutrients, such as saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.

The second requirement would enforce “healthy” labeled products to contain a meaningful amount of food from one of the food groups of either a fruit, vegetable or dairy, as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines.

Even with these “proposed” nutritional guidelines, the Functional Food category is in another dimension when it comes to the ingredients that are being used to aid in gut health and mental clarity.

Conscious consumers are becoming quickly aware of the benefits of nootropics, and adaptogens. Ingredients from non-hallucinagenic mushrooms such as Lion’s Mane, Chaga and Shiitake, are being added to foods in new ways, adding flavor and variety to some of our favorite snacks.

Take for example, the brand, Popadelics who has given a makeover to those dreaded Shiitake mushrooms. But, the health conscious consumer is well aware of the compounds found in these mushrooms, who’s effects are said to protect against cell damage, aid in immune system regulation, and boost white blood cell production to fighting off infections and sickness.

While The FDA cannot currently regulate shiitake mushrooms because they are considered a cooking vegetable, they will have to reevaluate how they will regulate other mushrooms and ingredients such as ashwagandha, and cordyceps. These functional ingredients are known to help fight inflammation in the body, relieve stress, and lower blood sugar, but have traditionally been packaged and sold as supplements.

With stress and blood sugar regulation being two key areas of concern for many consumers, incorporating these natural ingredients into popular snack items like chips and cookies could be a game-changer. As the demand for healthier snack options continues to rise, we are already seeing a new wave of innovative products that incorporate the health benefits of functional ingredients.

The conscious consumer is becoming increasingly hard to please, as they are more apt to spending a few extra dollars if they know there is an added health benefit to their snack. But brands tread a fine line between the ingredients they choose to use, and how they advertise the benefits of those ingredients.

As more consumers seek out Functional Food, it's likely that these innovative snack products will become increasingly popular. With a growing awareness of the benefits of functional ingredients, we are starting to see a shift towards healthier snack options, leaving FDA regulators scrambling to draw a line between supplements and food, when, they are, in fact the same.