As more and more consumers around the world include food supplements and functional foods in their diets, several safety considerations surrounding these dietary choices have emerged.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) explores these safety issues in a new report, “Food Safety in Personalized Nutrition: A Focus on Food Supplements and Functional Foods.” 

In the report, FAO provides a comprehensive overview of potential safety concerns associated with food supplements and functional foods, including adulteration, drug interactions, overdose, and toxicity, supported by case studies from scientific literature and media reports. 

The report also examines regulatory frameworks across various countries and regions, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Europe, India, Japan, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America. These frameworks cover key areas in the field of food supplements and functional foods such as classification, labeling, claims, composition, and registration, highlighting the differences in regulatory approaches.

The report describes food supplements as products containing concentrated sources of nutrients intended to supplement an individual’s dietary intake, and the report describes functional foods as providing a health advantage beyond fundamental nutrition.

The report also explores consumer perceptions of the safety of food supplements and functional foods, analyzing the motivations behind their use and the impact of marketing on their adoption. 

“As scientific understanding of the impact of food on the human body advances, more precisely tailored products are likely to emerge to address individual health needs,” the report says. “Regulatory frameworks may need to evolve to address these innovations and the associated food safety challenges.” 

The entire report can be found here.