Identifying and marketing the health benetits of foods

Abstract

A unique centre for clinical trials of foodstuffs (in Swedish: Centrum for Klinisk Provning av Livsmedel – KPL) has been created in Uppsala. This centre specializes in performing qualityassured clinical evaluation of the physiological health effects of foods and food ingredients. The centre was inaugurated in spring 2002, but Uppsala has already had long experience in this sector, since clinical trials of foodstuffs have been performed here for 30 years. The centre forms one of the institutions at Uppsala University, but is also being Ž nanced by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala County Administration and Uppsala County Council. The Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems is also providing some Ž nancing for the centre. Lifestyle-related health complaints such as the ‘‘metabolic syndrome’’ are becoming increasingly common. They involve a great deal of human suffering, along with high costs of social welfare for society. Preventive measurements in the form of improved diet and increased physical activity are very important in exposed groups. In addition to this, other trends can be noted in developed countries, where interest in personal health and longterm wellbeing makes people conscious about the food they eat. Academic research and the food industry in the USA and Japan have in many respects been leading the way in the development of new foodstuffs to meet these demands. In Sweden, the food industry is now allowed to label foodstuffs with speciŽ c health claims, providing that the claims are based on independent and controlled clinical tests performed on humans. Primaliv, produced by Skanemejerier, was the Ž rst product to carry such claims. This labelling provides an exceptional opportunity both for consumers to be able to control and optimize their diet and for the food industry to make commercial use of research and product development. The results from clinical trials increase the available knowledge about a product and this can also be used for further product development or to improve product safety. The results from clinical trials may form the basis for patent applications. This can strengthen a company trademark and increase the credibility to the consumer, investors and authorities. New knowledge about food products will be sought by the consumer, the research society, industry and business enterprises, as well as society at large. KPL’s vision is to be the natural place to which companies and research groups turn when they want to evaluate speciŽ c physiological and health effects of a foodstuff or a food ingredient. KPL specializes in this type of activity, with several organizational features to ensure quality and effectiveness. F irst, a scientiŽ c board, with very broad expertise in the area of clinical trials of foodstuffs, and geographically spread over the country, is afŽ liated to the centre. The areas of expertise represented include raw materials including bioactive components, toxicology, clinical nutrition research and clinical trials of foodstuffs, to mention but a few. The members of the scientiŽ c board are: