Definition of functional food

The term "functional food" originated in Japan in the late 1980s. At the time, the Japanese government recognized that traditional food cultures could be utilized to promote health and prevent diseases. As a result, they introduced the concept of "yoachizu yoku," which literally translates to "food for specific health use." This term referred to foods with scientifically proven health benefits beyond basic nutrition. The term "functional food" gained popularity in the western world in the late 1990s. The food industry used this term to describe foods that were fortified with nutrients or ingredients that had health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Functional foods could also be used to manage or prevent chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, or cancer. The Codex Alimentarius, a collection of internationally recognized food standards and codes of practices adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, recognized the term "functional food" in 2002. The definition of functional foods as adopted by the Codex Alimentarius is "food that is consumed as part of a normal diet and has been demonstrated to have a physiological benefit or provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition." In summary, the term "functional food" originated in Japan, where it was originally called "yoachizu yoku," and gained popularity in the western world as a marketing term for foods with added health benefits. The term is now recognized internationally by the Codex Alimentarius, which provides a formal definition of functional foods as having physiological benefits beyond basic nutrition.