Nutraceuticals: Regulatory process across the world

Abstract

Nutraceuticals are the products isolated from foods that are generally sold in medicinal form. They are of particular interest to reduce the expensive and high-tech disease treatment approaches currently employed in developed countries. Nutraceuticals show increase in shift towards preventive therapies and increasing disposable income, favourable pricing environment growth in pharma retail chain and increase in healthcare spending is mainly responsible for increasing market for nutraceuticals, but lack of standardisation and awareness, high pricing, marketing and distribution are some challenges. Nutraceuticals are a clear example of advancement in biotechnological products with a disproportionate and inadequate input into generating quality scientific evidence to back or refute their validity. To achieve better quality of life people started eating more vegetables, fruits, dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, phyto therapeutical substances and other plant foods. With the advancements in the qualitative and quantitative determining parameters, the requisition of these products has been found to be amplified. Due to this, the nutraceutical market has become a million-dollar industry at a global level. Urbanization, market globalization and economic development have led to changes in diet and lifestyle. Development of better characterized and research proven products will help to enhance the customer confidence in nutraceutical and functional food products in global market.