A Comparative Analysis of the Regulatory Framework Affecting Functional Food Development and Commercialization in Canada, Japan, the European Union and the United States of America

Abstract

Abstract The relationships between functional foods, consumer expectations and demands, and food regulatory structures are rapidly changing, worldwide. Industry is not willing to develop functional foods in the absence of clear and stable regulatory principles. The authors examine and compare established functional food regulatory structures in the European Economic Community, Japan, and the United States, and suggest what elements of each system would support expansion and maturation of this industry in the Canadian market.