Experts worry over popularity of ‘functional foods’

MILWAUKEE (AP) — From heart-friendly margarines to sugary cereals that strengthen bones, once-demonized foods are being spiked with nutrients to give them a healthier glow — and consumers are biting, even on some that are little more than dressed-up junk food.

A report released today finds that even in a weak economy, people will pay a premium for products seen as preventing a health problem or providing a good alternative to sodas and empty-calorie snacks. The report is from research firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

These products include winners and sinners: juices that supply kids with needed calcium, but also candy disguised as granola bars with just a smidgeon of much- ballyhooed nutrients.

The industry calls these products “nutraceuticals” or “functional foods.” Critics say they could lead people to consume too much of certain nutrients, plus too many calories and fats.

New York University food scientist Marion Nestle calls them “calorie distractors.”

“Functional foods are about marketing, not health,” she said. “They delude people into thinking that these things are healthy,” and they often eat more than is wise, she said.

Her shame list includes a candy bar pumped with caffeine and B vitamins, marketed as an “energy boost,” and fattening ice creams enriched with calcium and helpful bacteria called probiotics.

Other nutrition experts worry about too much of a good thing. The studies are far from definitive, but some suggest that too much of vitamins A, C, E and folic acid can be risky for some people.

Americans have a big appetite for these products.

Functional foods account for more than $27 billion in sales a year — about 5 percent of the U.S. food market, the Pricewaterhouse report says. Estimates of future growth range from 8.5 percent to 20 percent per year, far more than the 1 percent to 4 percent forecast for the food industry as a whole.

Fiber, for digestive health, has been a big draw. In 2007, General Mills expanded its Fiber One brand into bars with appealing flavors such as Oat & Caramel and Chocolate Mocha. Sales exceeded $100 million in the first year.

In 2004, the company added whole grain to its entire Big G cereal line — 50 to 60 brands. Kathy Wiemer, a company dietitian, argues that a cereal such as Lucky Charms, made from whole grain oats and containing less sugar than many yogurts, is a healthful breakfast choice.

Among beverages, vitamin-enhanced versions of Tropicana Pure Premium juices now account for 40 percent of Tropicana sales and the share is growing, said Dave DeCecco, a spokesman for Tropicana’s maker, PepsiCo Inc. A kids’ version has added vitamins A, C, D and E plus folic acid, potassium and calcium.

Dairy products, led by yogurts such as Yoplait and Dannon’s Activia line, accounted for nearly $7 billion in sales in 2007, the Pricewaterhouse report says.

However, “plus” products can have minuses, such as sweetened “silly beverages that cost $2 and $3 apiece with added gingko or caffeine or chromium, a supposed appetite suppressant,” said David Schardt, senior nutritionist for the consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest.