Are there hidden dangers to fortification?
From cereals fortified with vitamin D to CBD-infused soft drinks, brands are investing heavily in the fortification of their products, creating so-called functional foods and beverages.
And they're proving hugely profitable, with the global functional food and beverage market now valued at over $281bn. What’s more, that figure is projected to rise to over half a trillion by 2028, according to Statista.
The consumer shift towards foods and beverages, which support health and wellbeing, gained major traction during the global pandemic, leading to a boom in fortification.
“The pandemic heightened awareness around health and nutrition, with many consumers seeking healthier eating options,” a spokesperson for Mintel, told FoodNavigator.
This was further fuelled by the rise of the gut health trend, as understanding of the gut microbiome hit the mainstream.
“Gut health really is an important area within food and drink, particularly functional food and drink," says Rick Miller, associate director for specialised nutrition at Mintel. “Over the last ten years the patents and filings related to food and drink with probiotics added to them has just soared.”
But could evidence suggesting fortification is damaging to health, turn the tide on the wave of fortification?
Is fortification of foods and beverages damaging to health?
Researchers at Toho University, Japan, have found evidence to suggest that fortification of foods and beverages is leading to excessive intakes of certain nutrients, also known as overnutrition.
The team from Toho University’s Faculty of Medicine, led by Professor Keiko Asakura and Assistant Professor Minami Sugimoto, studied how fortified foods and dietary supplements contribute to overall nutrient intake.
However, the findings were far from alarming. In fact, results showed that a high proportion of study participants met the adequate intake levels set by dietary reference standards, concluding that fortified foods and/or dietary supplements contributed to the adequate intake of certain nutrients in their users.
Though the team did raise the concern that 2% of the study participants were at risk of excessive vitamin B6 levels.
According to the UK’s National Heath Service (NHS), taking 200mg or more of vitamin B6 per day can lead to a loss of feeling in the arms and legs, known as peripheral neuropathy. In most cases, this will improve once levels of B6 return to safe levels, however symptoms can persist in individuals who have taken large amounts of vitamin B6 for more than a few months, and in some cases, the effect can be permanent.
Will F&B manufacturers continue fortifying products?
Despite the recent evidence, it’s unlikely food and beverage manufacturers will stop fortifying their products, or that consumers will stop buying them.
This is reinforced by the fact many consumers are actively looking to supplement their diets, and choosing fortified products is an easy and convenient way to achieve this.
“The majority of the companies in the functional food market are introducing new products to attract and meet consumer needs,” said a spokesperson for Grand View Research. “The launch of new products in the market is helping these players to improve their sales and capture a greater share of the functional food market. For instance, in March 2021, the Coca-Cola Company’s Vitaminwater launched two new variants of soft drinks to its brand.”
However, brands may look at how necessary it is to fortify foods and beverages with B6, a nutrient which occurs naturally in a wide range of foods, including meat, eggs, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds.
And while there are concerns around overnutrition, the greater global concern revolves around malnutrition, even amongst people who are consuming enough calories.
“Malnutrition refers to deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients or impaired nutrient utilisation. The double burden of malnutrition consists of both undernutrition and overweight and obesity, said a spokesperson for the WHO.
In short, fortification in food and beverage is here to stay, but it may evolve, as industry and consumer understanding of healthy nutrient levels develops.
What are functional foods and beverages?
There is currently no universally accepted definition of the terms functional foods or functional beverages. However, functional foods and beverages are widely accepted to be those enriched with functional nutrients, in addition to the basic nutritional value of the product, to provide multiple health-related benefits. These nutrients include amino acids, vitamins, minerals, proteins, fatty acids, as well as pre- and probiotics.
Source: Contribution of fortified foods and dietary supplements to total nutrient intakes and their adequacy in Japanese adults
Published online: 27 September 2024
DOI: 10.1186/s40795-024-00935-w
Authors: Minami Sugimoto, Keiko Asakura, Nana Shinozaki, Kentaro Murakami, Shizuko Masayasu & Satoshi Sasaki
