EU-funded research on functional foods

Abstract

Research on food and nutrition has been an important topic in all Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development of the European Commission. From the Second Framework Programme (ECU 2 million for four projects on functional foods) to the Fifth Framework Programme (€51 million for thirty-three projects on functional foods), the investment in research projects on functional foods has been increasing by quite an extent. In the early 1990s, the topics were fibres, pro-, pre- and synbiotics. Nowadays, the range of subjects has been broadened to antioxidative effects, vitamins, phyto-oestrogens and the socio-economic area.