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"Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food"
Hippocrates 400 B.C.
The heightened interest in nutraceuticals is a result of a growing concern by the
public which is increasingly willing to take responsibility for their own health. The move
away from conventional medical practices into those that are less well documented is not
confined to herbal remedies. It is part of a larger interest by the public, in a variety
of types of compounds which may confer health benefits when consumed and which are present
in plants of many kinds, including common fruits, vegetable, grains and spices.
According to the Canadian Dietetic Association, nutraceuticals are defined as "any
substance that may be considered a food or part of a food and provides medical or health
benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease". Nutraceuticals or
functional foods can be isolated nutrients, dietary supplements, genetically modified
foods, herbal products and processed foods.
The market for nutraceuticals is growing. It is estimated that $250 million, or 50% of
the U.S. food market of $503 million may be attributable to nutraceutical products if
taken at its broadest definition.
Japan is a world leader in the area of legislative health claims on food.
Nutraceuticals constitute a $4 billion market in Japan. The Japanese government formally
recognizes nutraceuticals as an alternative to drug therapy and established a regulatory
category Foods for Specific Health Use (FOSU). Consequently, the international market is
seen as more favourable than the domestic scene, due primarily to supportive legislation.
Despite minimal information on the nutraceutical industry in Canada, this sector has
the potential to grow and capitalize on tremendous global marketing opportunities. It is
essential to characterize the existing Canadian nutraceutical industry, and identify what
is needed to help it take advantage of the expanding market for nutraceuticals, both as
final products and as food ingredients around the world.
The term, functional food originated in Japan. Faced with increasing health care costs
and an aging population, the government launched a program to promote the development of
foods with health and medicinal properties. Examples of functional foods currently on the
Japanese market include: milk with Vitamin D, orange juice with calcium, high fiber
waffles, and Schwepps has introduced a Vitamin C enhanced cola.
Experts believe that the identification and extraction of biologically available
ingredients of either animal or vegetable origin appear to be the key to the development
of the nutraceutical concept in Canada. Proving their value will be critical to ensuring
not only the protection of the consumers health, but also the strength of the market by
boosting consumer confidence. The food ingredient sector is leading in this area.
The Canadian Food and Drug Act and Regulations which prevent health claims on food or
in advertising is seen as the dominant barrier to growth in the Canadian nutraceutical
market. Presently, no company markets only in Canada which has limited consumer awareness,
a smaller market and tighter legislations. It is essential to bring regulatory agencies
(food and drug) together to discuss the issues and options, and to determine scientific
information about nutraceutical products. These steps are required to bring about
positive, realistic regulatory changes that would facilitate appropriate promotion and
marketing of nutraceuticals based on their risk-management or disease-preventative
attributes.
The nutraceutical industry is targeting chronic disease risk management so as to
minimize rising health care costs. In response, the opportunity exists to tie reductions
in health care costs to the development of value added agricultural products.
Herbs and spices offer more than flavour with their characteristic antioxidant and
antimicrobial activity. The U.S. National Cancer Institute is investigating several plant
ingredients with anticarcinogenic activity including diallyl sulfite in garlic, quercetin
in onion, and glutathione in parsley. However, the functional dose is high, often ten
times the usual condiment level. Genetic engineering which can be used to increase the
natural content of the active ingredient may provide efficiencies in this area. Often, the
high dosage creates side effects such as an unpleasant taste. This can be addressed by
encapsulating the active components or reducing the natural flavour.
The nutraceutical industry is part of value-added processing of Canadian agri-food
commodities. The goal of the Canadian Nutraceutical Innovation Centre and Network is to
stimulate the competiveness of Canada's agri-food nutraceutical sector which will
contribute towards increased production, processing and associated employment.
New crop diversification, economic growth through the identification of new or expanded
markets, and increased utilization of Manitoba commodities, are some of the opportunities
available to Manitoba producers of herb and spices.
Import substitution offers Manitoba herb and spice producers opportunities to capture a
larger portion of the domestic market. The ability to substitute imports with local
production is founded on the basis that in many cases imports originate from countries
where environmental pollution continues to be a problem, products lack proper
identification, ingredients quality standards and potency are uncertain, and freedom from
unregulated chemical use cannot be guaranteed.
In marketing a product the fact that the herb or spice is produced in the Canadian
environment which is recognized as clean and wholesome, can provide a competitive
advantage. Canadian harvesting, processing and storage technologies also contribute to a
consistently higher quality product which further strengthens marketing advantages.
Prairie provinces are very suitable for growing many medicinal plants, for example,
echinacea, astragalus, mints, valerian, feverfew, oil-producing plants, possibly
goldenseal, uva ursi and a multitude of wild plants. Cool temperatures, appropriate heat
units, large growing areas and harsh winters all are factors that support the development
of a hearty herb and spice plant that can result in higher quality products with minimal
disease problems.
Cool climates in particular can be a critical factor in encouraging higher
concentrations of active ingredients. Root crops need little irrigation. Abundant sunshine
and dryland farming conditions both are factors that give a province like Manitoba a
distinct advantage.
Manitoba is also home to a diverse collection of wild plant species. Buyers of
medicinal herbs pay a premium for wild products because the chemical constituents of
plants are more concentrated. The natural sourcing achieved through utilization of wild
plants further supports a premium prices.
The virtually limitless production base and the strong resource skills of producers
currently in the market places Manitoba in an excellent position to both produce a quality
product and abundant supply to meet domestic market opportunities that are concentrated in
the ethnic and niche sectors. |
