FUNCTIONAL FOOD

noun (Lifestyle and Leisure) A foodstuff which contains additives specifically designed to promote health and longevity. Sometimes abbreviated to FF. Etymology: A translation of Japanese kinoseishokuhin. History and Usage: Functional foods were originally a Japanese idea and by 1990 had an eight per cent share of the Japanese food market. They cleverly turn round the negative connotations of food additives by fortifying foods with enzymes to aid digestion, anti-cholesterol agents, added fibre, etc. and by marketing the foods as beneficial to health--much the same idea as the familiar breakfast cereals fortified with vitamins and iron, but taken a stage further. Functional foods have yet to be tested on Western markets. Unless food manufacturers outside Japan wake up to the market potential of functional foods, a new Japanese invasion of protein-enhanced Yorkshire pudding, high-fibre spotted dick and vitamin-boosted toad-in-the-hole is likely...Mr Potter, a food scientist and technologist, explained: 'FF ingredients are products known to have positive health benefits like lowering cholesterol levels, lowering blood sugar, preventing calcium loss from the bone, lowering incidences of heart disease.' Independent 28 Apr. 1990, p. 3