Nutraceuticals: definition and special features

This report focuses on selected developing countries’ potential for exporting health foods (more technically known as “functional foods”) and food supplements, also known as nutraceuticals. The scope of the products under study is intentionally broad given the breadth of the issue and the diversity of the products that can be regarded as nutraceuticals. Health or functional foods are foods which have or are believed or viewed to have health-enhancing properties beyond their nutritional value. Health foods include beverages. Food supplements likewise are derivatives from plants and fruits processed into concentrated forms such as liquids, tablets or capsules. In this report, the term ‘nutraceutical’ is used to describe both these two aspects, including fruits, vegetables, and grains that are known or considered to have health/related benefits.