Abstract
Al though no of fi cial def i ni tion ex ists in the United States, func tional food may be de scribed as a food with in gre di ents that pro vide a health benefitbeyond the food it self. How ever, no guidelines were found, and juices, soda pops, break fast ce re als and snack foods that contain herbs have recently De come avail able at the time of this writ ing. These may be harm ful or un nee es sary, and may re suit in an over dose of an herb. Many man u fac tur ers are clas si fy ing these foods as di etary supple ments to avoid FDA reg u la tion or the need to prove the added in gre clients as GRAS (Gen erally Rec og nized as Safe), as are re quired for food ad di tives. The Cen ter for Sei ence in the Pub lie In ter est (CSPI) re cently filed a pe ti tion with the U.S. Food and Drug Ad min is tra tion (FDA) to halt the sale of 75 func tional foods.
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Notes on contributors
Ila Mehra Harris
F. U. Alakbarov is Head Scientific Officer, expert in the Oriental and Folk Medicine, Institute of Manuscripts of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, 8 Istiglaliyat str., Baku, 370001, Azerbaijan.
At the time of writing Liya Davydov was PharmD candidate, College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, St. John’s University. Currently, she is Pharmacy Practice Resident, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY.
Ila Mehra Harris is Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems, College of Pharmacy, and Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Family Practice & Community Health, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.