Definition of food
Foods are LIQUID or SOLID, PROCESSED, SEMIPROCESATE or CRUDE substances, to be taken with the aim of:
- Restore, maintain or improve the body's energy balance
- Make nutrients or other molecules important for maintaining overall homeostasis or for tissue growth and repair processes
- Confer "pleasant sensations" thanks to its organoleptic properties.
Food regulation: Legislative Decree (DL) 109 of 27 January 1992.
Classify foods
On the other hand, besides the criterion of nutritional prevalence used to divide the 7 fundamental food groups, other parameters can be used such as: the origin of food (whether vegetable, animal or fungal), the CONCENTRATION IN ENERGETIC MACRONUTRIENTS (protides, lipids, glucides) and the NUTRITIONAL FUNCTION (plastic, energy, regulation).
Foodstuffs
Today, in addition to the classic foods of the aforementioned categories, some PARTICULAR products can be found on the market: these are the new food products . Essentially, these represent the study and application of industrial goods (especially marketing) useful for increasing sales and company profits. The "vaguely acid" definition that PERSONALLY I attribute to new food products derives above all from the fact that THERE (so NOT always ... but almost!) This sector is totally exposed to scientific exploitation (therefore fictitious or in any case not properly proven on the human organism ) of companies to promote sales.
The new food products, in addition to the basic nutritional "standard", promise numerous health effects that vary according to the specific food; this feature can only "further" upset the concepts (already quite confusing in themselves) that professionals try to convey to their clients. Ultimately, with the advent of new food products, in addition to the difficulty in changing lifestyles and nutrition, today professionals also have the task of educating the population on the real function of these foods and discarding their essentiality in the regime dietary.
They are new food products:
- Organic and / or natural foods
- Whole foods
- Light or "light" foods
- Fortified, enriched, supplemented foods
- Functional foods
- Innovative foods (novel foods)
It is obvious that, among the various food groups mentioned above, there are significant differences both in terms of utility and nutritional contextualization (comparing the group of organic foods to that of light or light, the difference is obvious!); however, it is appropriate to specify that the new food products are common to ALL because they are NOT essential within the collective food regime .
Dietary foods
Even diet foods are NOT essential products for human consumption, on the other hand, in some circumstances their use can be much more useful than the previous category; for this reason, diet foods are regulated by EEC directive 89/398 which describes all products destined for a "special" diet, specifying their field of application.
In summary, dietary foods must comply with particular nutritional requirements such as:
- defects in absorption or metabolic alterations
- particular physiological conditions (gestation and lactation)
- weaning and early childhood (if in good health).
Dietary foods are NOT products for current use and I must possess a specific nutritional objective; THEY ARE NOT FOOD SUPPLEMENTS, they must be distinguished from foods in current use, they must be suitable for the nutritional objective indicated and they are marketed indicating compliance with this objective. Examples are foods for celiacs (gluten-free), products for diabetics and dietary salts.
