Functional dairy foods are an expanding category, riding the wave of consumer interest in healthier foods and research documenting the health benefits of dairy foods. In addition to milk components, certain health-enhancing live active cultures, known as probiotics, associated with fermented dairy products also have an expanding research dossier substantiating health effects, and dairy products containing these bacteria comprise an emerging group of functional dairy products. The challenges worldwide with developing functional dairy foods are many. Most important is clarification of mechanisms, types and extent of health effects associated with dairy foods. Also challenging is determining how best to communicate health benefits to the consumer, being mindful of satisfying regulatory constraints, the need for truthful and not misleading product descriptions which inform but do not overstate or oversimplify and developing appealing and meaningful product representations. All this must be done withan awareness of the regulatory and cultural climates of different countries worldwide. There is no legal definition of functional food in North America or Europe, although Japan has a category of "Foods for Specified Health Use (FOSHU)". This paper willdiscuss the marketing and regulatory challenges associated with communicating health benefits of functional foods.
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