(Journal of Functional Foods, in press)
Graphical Abs
Sustainability, nutrition, and scientific advances of functional foods under the new EU and global legislation initiatives
Daniel Granato1,2,3*, Ioannis Zabetakis1,2,3*, Anastasios Koidis4*
1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Natural Sciences, University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland. E-mail: Daniel.granato@ul.ie
2 Bernal Institute,
University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland.
3 Health Research Institute,
University of Limerick, V94 T9PX Limerick, Ireland.
4 Institute
for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens,
Belfast BT9 5DJ, United Kingdom.
* Contributed equally to
the work
Abstract
The health of the
general population is one of the various factors at stake in the 2020's
generation: food security, safety, nutrition, and responsible, sustainable
production and consumption are also part of the priorities of governments and
enterprises. Under that prism, the new EU legislation (Green Deal – Farm to Fork) building on the top of the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals groundwork has brought about a revamped focus on
sustainability in the food industry, emphasising reducing food production's
environmental impact and promoting sustainable food systems. Here, an
integrative approach between scientific and technological advancement,
policymakers, consumers, and society, to design sustainable, functional foods
is presented, focusing on food innovation for developing of bioactive-rich
ingredients and tackling non-communicable diseases (NCD). We also critically
analyse how these findings fit within the new policy frameworks of the EU and
the UN under the common goal of achieving global food security and sustainable growth.
Keywords: food innovation; circular economy; food technology; food safety; chronic diseases.
