FUNCTIONAL FOOD - DEFINITIONS AND LEGAL S ITUATION

Functional food are a new kind of food. They are defined as food havin g a positive effect on an individual's health, physical performance or state of mind in addition to the nutritive value. Functional Food, fi rst marketed in Japan, are gaining acceptance also in the USA and in E urope. The most popular functional food in Germany are pro-and prebiot ic dairy products and it is to be expected that the market will grow. At present, there is no clear definition for this group of food and no special regulation in Europe. There is a need for a new kind of food labelling which allows statements that a food is beneficial to health.