As Functional Food Market Booms, Dieticians Advise Caution

Functional foods are booming as consumers focus on disease prevention and wellness. Analysts suggest the US market exceeds $30 billion and is growing 5x faster than the overall food market. Functional or modified foods are usually augmented with things like calcium, antioxidant, and vitamins to provide added nutrient-value beyond intrinsic levels. However, these products are unregulated and dieticians believe that companies often use functional claims as a marketing ploy.  Debate continues on the benefits or otherwise of functional foods, with many dieticians advising consumer to instead opt for natural, unprocessed foods, modified or not.