Food Safety Magazine, June/July 2012
Food Safety Magazine, June/July 2012
Food Safety Magazine, June/July 2012
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ReguLATORY REPORT<br />
tional ingredients arena, which is highly<br />
relevant to beverages in particular. Some<br />
products may appear to be beverages but<br />
are actually marketed as dietary supplements,<br />
and it can be a challenge for consumers<br />
to tell the difference when shopping<br />
for products. The only difference<br />
from a consumer perspective may be<br />
whether there is a nutrition facts panel<br />
or supplement facts panel on the label.<br />
In the United States, this has been the<br />
subject of recent warning letters issued<br />
by FDA. Additionally, Health Canada<br />
announced in April <strong>2012</strong> that it will<br />
no longer allow functional foods and<br />
beverages to be marketed under Natural<br />
Health Products Regulations.<br />
Markus Lipp, Ph.D., is director of food standards for USP. He has 20 years of experience<br />
in food and food ingredient issues, bottled water quality standards and genetically<br />
modified agricultural products. For more information on USP’s upcoming symposium on<br />
functional ingredients, visit uspgo.to/boston-s3-<strong>2012</strong>.<br />
For more information on beverage safety and regulations for beverage processing, please visit our<br />
Signature Series articles on our website at www.foodsafetymagazine.com/signature.asp<br />
The Road Ahead<br />
Functional ingredients will continue<br />
their sharp trajectory as consumers demand<br />
products with perceived benefits<br />
to health and wellness. Beverages in<br />
particular are poised to continue successfully<br />
incorporating novel ingredients.<br />
The authenticity of these ingredients<br />
should not be taken at face value, and<br />
manufacturers must take steps to verify<br />
supplier claims. How are identity and<br />
function intertwined? To what extent?<br />
How is this measured? With more and<br />
more functional ingredients entering the<br />
market, manufacturers, regulators and<br />
standards-setting bodies face a pressing<br />
need to come to some level of agreement<br />
on these types of questions. This is the<br />
focus of an upcoming symposium that<br />
USP is convening in Boston, September<br />
18–20, <strong>2012</strong>: “Functional <strong>Food</strong>s and Dietary<br />
Supplements—Global Opportunities<br />
and Challenges.”<br />
Public standards play a critical role<br />
here and can also assist legitimate suppliers<br />
that may be competing with lessscrupulous<br />
ones offering substances of<br />
questionable quality. Moreover, with<br />
many functional ingredients, industry,<br />
regulators and standards-setting bodies are<br />
still in uncharted territory. To preserve the<br />
reputation of these products, greater clarity<br />
on a number of fronts related to identity<br />
and functionality must be achieved.<br />
Otherwise, functional claims may become<br />
unreliable and meaningless. •<br />
J u n e • J u l y 2 0 1 2 37