Brett A. Portaro (born August 18, 1968) is an American businessman and entrepreneur best known for founding the private venture capital firm Charter Oak Development based out of Charlotte, NC. Portaro, also the founder of The Portaro Group (TPG), a telecommunications and energy conglomerate for AT&T, Hess, Direct Energy, and Eligo Energy, has founded multiple corporations in the utilities and energy sectors since 2000.
The Portaro Group
The Portaro Group (TPG), ranked in Inc. magazine’s, annual Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America (2010, 2011, and 2016) was founded by Portaro in 2000 and is now one of the largest Utility MSP firms in the United States. The company focuses on selling network and energy services and served on AT&T’s Advisory Council. Portaro sold The Portaro Group at the end of 2015.
Energy
Portaro’s two energy firms, originally under the umbrella of The Portaro Group (now under the umbrella name of Charter Oak Development Services), focus on selling electricity and natural gas for Hess/Direct Energy and Eligo Energy. He also developed an Aggregated Energy Program, where he created an entirely new market sector, centered around some of the largest REITs in the United States.
Early career
Brett A. Portaro graduated from the University of Michigan in 1990 with a double major in Communication and Psychology. Portaro is listed in the World Genius Directory, a high IQ Society .
At the start of his corporate career, Portaro worked in sales and sales management at some of the largest technology companies including SAP, Lucent Technologies, and AT&T.
In 1999, Portaro began his entrepreneurial career when he started a record label based out of New York and Los Angeles (On Point Entertainment). A documentary, The Miseducation of Brett Portaro, was made about Portaro and the fast-paced growth of his recording and production company.
In 2006, Portaro founded The Portaro Restaurant Group, a quick-serve restaurant group centered around a concept named Pressini Pressed Sandwiches located in Charlotte, NC. Pressini was set up from the beginning as a franchisor. In 2009, Pressini was sold and rebranded.
Organizations and Charities
Portaro is a member of the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO), the largest organization of its kind in the world. Portaro, a dedicated husband and father of three, also works with the Prayers from Maria Foundation, an organization he helped found in 2006. Prayers from Maria focuses on raising research money for inoperable brain tumors in children. As a child of a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, Portaro also actively supports the Patriot Charities for Wounded Warriors in Charlotte, NC.
The Portaro Group
The Portaro Group (TPG), ranked in Inc. magazine’s, annual Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America (2010, 2011, and 2016) was founded by Portaro in 2000 and is now one of the largest Utility MSP firms in the United States. The company focuses on selling network and energy services and served on AT&T’s Advisory Council. Portaro sold The Portaro Group at the end of 2015.
Energy
Portaro’s two energy firms, originally under the umbrella of The Portaro Group (now under the umbrella name of Charter Oak Development Services), focus on selling electricity and natural gas for Hess/Direct Energy and Eligo Energy. He also developed an Aggregated Energy Program, where he created an entirely new market sector, centered around some of the largest REITs in the United States.
Early career
Brett A. Portaro graduated from the University of Michigan in 1990 with a double major in Communication and Psychology. Portaro is listed in the World Genius Directory, a high IQ Society .
At the start of his corporate career, Portaro worked in sales and sales management at some of the largest technology companies including SAP, Lucent Technologies, and AT&T.
In 1999, Portaro began his entrepreneurial career when he started a record label based out of New York and Los Angeles (On Point Entertainment). A documentary, The Miseducation of Brett Portaro, was made about Portaro and the fast-paced growth of his recording and production company.
In 2006, Portaro founded The Portaro Restaurant Group, a quick-serve restaurant group centered around a concept named Pressini Pressed Sandwiches located in Charlotte, NC. Pressini was set up from the beginning as a franchisor. In 2009, Pressini was sold and rebranded.
Organizations and Charities
Portaro is a member of the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO), the largest organization of its kind in the world. Portaro, a dedicated husband and father of three, also works with the Prayers from Maria Foundation, an organization he helped found in 2006. Prayers from Maria focuses on raising research money for inoperable brain tumors in children. As a child of a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, Portaro also actively supports the Patriot Charities for Wounded Warriors in Charlotte, NC.
Facetiousism
Definition
Facetiousism explains the philosophical phenominalism of facetiousness, which encourages the concept that a facetious comment makes light of a dark situation, where in the case of the situation, the enactor of facetiousness can acknowledge the potentially humorous value of this comment to it's audience. It expresses the understanding that humour has a political value in a social context and in essence outlines the capacity of language it uses to be interpreted both positively and negatively in exchanges. In integer, facetiousness can be used as a coping mechanism.
Origins
From the Latin facetus meaning 'witty' and facetia meaning 'jest' and the Greek suffix -ism.
Definition
Facetiousism explains the philosophical phenominalism of facetiousness, which encourages the concept that a facetious comment makes light of a dark situation, where in the case of the situation, the enactor of facetiousness can acknowledge the potentially humorous value of this comment to it's audience. It expresses the understanding that humour has a political value in a social context and in essence outlines the capacity of language it uses to be interpreted both positively and negatively in exchanges. In integer, facetiousness can be used as a coping mechanism.
Origins
From the Latin facetus meaning 'witty' and facetia meaning 'jest' and the Greek suffix -ism.
Floyd Manuel Scaff(born 12 December 1954) is an American retired professional boxer who has fought and rivaled against other great boxers in the history such as Mike Tyson. Sammy was born in Ashland, Kentucky which is today his hometown and also resident town.Scaff made his debut in professional boxing in 1983 against Philip Manuel.
**Boxing Record
**35 1991-06-22 West Turner 7 0 0 Morgantown, West Virginia, USA L KO
USA West Virginia State heavyweight title
**34 1989-04-14 James Holly 2 17 0 Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA L KO
**33 1988-12-19 Adilson Rodrigues 32 2 0 Estádio Jornalista Felippe Drummond, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil L KO
**32 1988-06-03 Wesley Smith 4 20 1 Raleigh County Armory, Beckley, West Virginia, USA W TKO
**31 1988-01-23 Burt Hays 20 9 0 South Parkersburg High School, Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA W TKO
USA West Virginia State heavyweight title
**30 1987-12-03 Gary Mason 22 0 0 Cliff's Pavilion, Southend, Essex, United Kingdom L TKO
**29 1987-11-20 Sean Baker debut Beckley, West Virginia, USA W KO
**28 1987-08-30 Bennie Knoetze 24 2 0 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa L RTD
**27 1986-11-13 Rufus Hadley 9 1 1 Convention Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada L TKO
**26 1986-09-24 Robert Obey 6 6 1 Beckley, West Virginia, USA W TKO
**25 1986-09-09 Art Terry 3 1 0 Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA W PTS
**24 1986-08-15 Bobby Thomas 11 5 0 Wheeling, West Virginia, USA W PTS
USA West Virginia State heavyweight title
**23 1986-08-12 Don Johnson 0 1 0 Ashland Armory, Ashland, Kentucky, USA W KO
**22 1986-06-24 Joseph Presswood 0 3 0 Continental Inn, Lexington, Kentucky, USA W KO
**21 1986-02-16 Purdue Orator Hall 1 1 0 Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA L TKO
**20 1985-12-06 Mike Tyson 13 0 0 Felt Forum, New York, New York, USA L TKO
**19 1985-10-12 Tim Witherspoon 22 2 0 National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom L TKO
**18 1985-04-12 Proud Kilimanjaro 17 0 0 Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire L KO
**17 1985-03-17 Marvin Smith 1 0 0 South Charleston, West Virginia, USA W KO
**16 1985-03-04 Joseph Presswood 0 1 0 Lexington, Kentucky, USA W KO
**15 1985-02-08 Trib Perry 1 10 0 Charleston, West Virginia, USA W TKO
**14 1984-12-07 Jimmy Clark 15 0 0 Harrah's Trump Plaza Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA L KO
**13 1984-08-31 Mitch Green 14 0 1 Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA L TKO
**12 1984-08-10 Robert Obey 4 4 1 Beckley, West Virginia, USA W PTS
**11 1984-05-02 Melvin Hosey 1 18 0 Beckley, West Virginia, USA W PTS
**10 1984-04-08 Stan Long 0 1 0 Columbus, Ohio, USA W KO
**9 1984-03-11 Joe Tank Mooney 0 11 0 Huntington, West Virginia, USA W KO
**8 1984-02-18 Alex Williamson 4 0 0 Diplomat Hotel, Hollywood, Florida, USA L PTS
**7 1984-01-24 Frank Farmer 2 14 1 Bermuda W KO
**6 1983-09-14 Andrew Stokes 1 0 0 Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, USA L KO
**5 1983-09-03 Jeff Burg 0 2 0 Spartan Stadium, Portsmouth, Ohio, USA W TKO
**4 1983-06-11 Stan Long debut Raceland, Kentucky, USA W KO
**3 1983-05-21 Jesse Clark 0 28 0 Beckley, West Virginia, USA W KO
**2 1983-03-12 J Johnson debut Raceland, Kentucky, USA W KO
**1 1983-02-04 Phillip Manuel debut
**Boxing Record
**35 1991-06-22 West Turner 7 0 0 Morgantown, West Virginia, USA L KO
USA West Virginia State heavyweight title
**34 1989-04-14 James Holly 2 17 0 Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA L KO
**33 1988-12-19 Adilson Rodrigues 32 2 0 Estádio Jornalista Felippe Drummond, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil L KO
**32 1988-06-03 Wesley Smith 4 20 1 Raleigh County Armory, Beckley, West Virginia, USA W TKO
**31 1988-01-23 Burt Hays 20 9 0 South Parkersburg High School, Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA W TKO
USA West Virginia State heavyweight title
**30 1987-12-03 Gary Mason 22 0 0 Cliff's Pavilion, Southend, Essex, United Kingdom L TKO
**29 1987-11-20 Sean Baker debut Beckley, West Virginia, USA W KO
**28 1987-08-30 Bennie Knoetze 24 2 0 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa L RTD
**27 1986-11-13 Rufus Hadley 9 1 1 Convention Centre, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada L TKO
**26 1986-09-24 Robert Obey 6 6 1 Beckley, West Virginia, USA W TKO
**25 1986-09-09 Art Terry 3 1 0 Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA W PTS
**24 1986-08-15 Bobby Thomas 11 5 0 Wheeling, West Virginia, USA W PTS
USA West Virginia State heavyweight title
**23 1986-08-12 Don Johnson 0 1 0 Ashland Armory, Ashland, Kentucky, USA W KO
**22 1986-06-24 Joseph Presswood 0 3 0 Continental Inn, Lexington, Kentucky, USA W KO
**21 1986-02-16 Purdue Orator Hall 1 1 0 Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA L TKO
**20 1985-12-06 Mike Tyson 13 0 0 Felt Forum, New York, New York, USA L TKO
**19 1985-10-12 Tim Witherspoon 22 2 0 National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom L TKO
**18 1985-04-12 Proud Kilimanjaro 17 0 0 Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire L KO
**17 1985-03-17 Marvin Smith 1 0 0 South Charleston, West Virginia, USA W KO
**16 1985-03-04 Joseph Presswood 0 1 0 Lexington, Kentucky, USA W KO
**15 1985-02-08 Trib Perry 1 10 0 Charleston, West Virginia, USA W TKO
**14 1984-12-07 Jimmy Clark 15 0 0 Harrah's Trump Plaza Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA L KO
**13 1984-08-31 Mitch Green 14 0 1 Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA L TKO
**12 1984-08-10 Robert Obey 4 4 1 Beckley, West Virginia, USA W PTS
**11 1984-05-02 Melvin Hosey 1 18 0 Beckley, West Virginia, USA W PTS
**10 1984-04-08 Stan Long 0 1 0 Columbus, Ohio, USA W KO
**9 1984-03-11 Joe Tank Mooney 0 11 0 Huntington, West Virginia, USA W KO
**8 1984-02-18 Alex Williamson 4 0 0 Diplomat Hotel, Hollywood, Florida, USA L PTS
**7 1984-01-24 Frank Farmer 2 14 1 Bermuda W KO
**6 1983-09-14 Andrew Stokes 1 0 0 Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, USA L KO
**5 1983-09-03 Jeff Burg 0 2 0 Spartan Stadium, Portsmouth, Ohio, USA W TKO
**4 1983-06-11 Stan Long debut Raceland, Kentucky, USA W KO
**3 1983-05-21 Jesse Clark 0 28 0 Beckley, West Virginia, USA W KO
**2 1983-03-12 J Johnson debut Raceland, Kentucky, USA W KO
**1 1983-02-04 Phillip Manuel debut
History of Functional Food Definition
Functional Food was first termed in Japan in the 1980s. In 1993, Nature published a paper on “Japan is exploring limits between food and medicine”. The Japanese food industry had begun to curate functional food products to meet the demands of the public and more science had to be done to learn about the health benefits of certain foods. Currently in Japan, functional food falls under the formal legislative food category called FOSHU (Food for Specified Health Use). Under FOSHU guidelines a Japanese food functional food product must first “demonstrate: 1) Effectiveness in clinical studies, 2) Safety in clinical and non-clinical studies, and 3) Determination of active/effective components".
The popularity of functional food started to expand in the global market and became more popular in Europe in the 1990s. In 1997, the European Commission defined functional foods as “A nutrient can only be easily considered functional if it was satisfactorily proved that it can positively change one or more target functions, besides nutritional effects, as to consistently improve health, well-being while reducing any affection risk. A functional food should ideally be a nutrient and should not change its efficacy when entering into a diet; it should not be either a pill or a capsule”. The European Commission based on this idea of functional food decided that a consistent scientific approach towards functional food was the best approach.
In the United States, United States Department of Agriculture- Agricultural Research Service (USDA -ARS) define functional foods as “designed to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions, and may be similar in appearance to conventional food and consumed as part of a regular diet”. Currently, the United States has not accepted one legal definition of functional foods, which has caused challenges for food scientists and the functional food industry.
Since 1998 Functional Food Center (FFC) has been working professionally in the field of functional food science and all efforts, jointly with the Academic Society of Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds (ASFFBC) and Journal of Functional Food in Health and Disease, are towards standardizing the functional foods definition for scientists, functional food manufacturers, policy makers, and the public.
Definition of Functional Foods by Functional Food Center
The Functional Food Center (FFC) defines functional foods as “natural or processed foods that contain known or unknown biologically-active compounds; which, in defined amounts, provide a clinically proven and documented health benefit for the prevention, management, or treatment of chronic disease”. This definition is unique to other definitions by emphasizing bioactive compounds as the "backbone" of functional food research.
The definition was first widely discussed in 2012 at the FFC’s 10th International Conference in Santa Barbara, CA. Attendees, including medical professionals, researchers, students, and public health professionals accepted this definition, which has help cement the FFC’s call for global acceptance of this new definition.
Breakdown of the Definition
The definition first highlights that functional foods can be considered “natural or processed”. Under this definition, foods in changed or unchanged forms can be classified functional. Examples of natural unchanged foods are pure oranges or avocados, while folate-fortified cereals are an example of changed or processed food.
Second, it should be mentioned that “functional foods can have known or unknown biologically active (bioactive) compounds”. Bioactive compounds are the source of the functional affect of functional food. Bioactive compounds can include: phenolic compounds, lipids, proteins and peptides, carbohydrates, flavonoids, capsaicinoids, lignin, tepenoids, carotenoids, chlorophylls, vitamins, stilbene, phenolic acids, fibers, sterols, lipids, fatty acids, and polysaccharides. The definition includes known or unknown bioactive compounds because the research may have not yet identified certain compounds or discovered the mechanism and physiology of the effects of the described compound.
Third, the definition emphasizes that in non-toxic amounts should functional foods with bioactive compounds be consumed. Correct dosages of bioactive compounds, especially in functional foods, are pertinent to follow for therapeutic purposes. These dosages may also change if the functional food prevents one or more diseases. For example, if a functional food is found to prevent Type II Diabetes and certain forms of cancer then research needs to be done to correctly describe the dosage for each therapeutic purpose. More research needs to be done to find what dosage of the functional food is appropriate for better therapeutic strategies for the prevention, management, and treatment of chronic diseases.
Furthermore, the definition stresses that functional food must “provide a clinically proven and documented health benefit”. The health effect and purpose of the functional food with bioactive compound must be demonstrated successfully in extensive clinical studies, involving human trials, to be accepted by the functional food science community, healthcare professionals, policy makers, and consumers. Casual relationships between functional foods and the prevention, management, or treatment of chronic disease must be established through high scientific standards of pre-clinical and clinical trials. Epidemiological and cohort studies on the effects of the functional food in human populations should also be studied.
At the 19th International Conference of FFC at Kobe University, Japan, Danik M. Martirosyan, PhD, President, Functional Food Center/Functional Food Institute, Dallas, TX, USA, gave a talk on “A new definition for functional food by FFC: Creating functional food products using new definition”. A new definition for functional food will help functional food products be approved for consumer use and improve the already successful food industry. Dr. Martirosyan also discussed how to bring functional food products to market. Additionally, there was a panel discussion on the efficacy and safety of bioactive food compounds. There are exceedingly important questions about the efficacy and safety of functional foods and bioactive compounds involving the definition of functional food, so there was organized a special panel discussion on the efficacy and safety of bioactive food compounds. Panelists included: Kenichi Yoshida (Professor, Kobe University, Japan), Ro Osawa (Professor, Kobe University, Japan), Francesco Marotta (MD, PhD, ReGenera Research Group for Aging, Italy), Pamela Starke-Reed (PhD, Deputy Administrator, Nutrition, Food Safety and Quality, USDA, USA), Danik Martirosyan (PhD, Functional Food Center, USA), and Hiroshi Maeda (Professor, Sojo University, Japan).
Other Promotion of the Definition
In order to promote the definition to students and the public, a large-scale project was taken on to publish the textbook, Introduction to Functional Food Science. The book has been used in many classrooms all over the world, including the following countries: the United States, Japan, Denmark, Brazil, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Korea, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Mexico, India, Finland, Croatia, Nova Scotia, Thailand, Israel, and more. A chapter was dedicated to all of the details on the important issues surrounding the definition of functional food including the “challenges due to the absence of a proper definition”, “expanding worldwide consumer acceptance”, and the “steps to bringing functional foods to market”. The key steps to bring a functional food product to market are: “(1) Identify the relationship between the bioactive compound and the health benefit, (2) Demonstrate efficacy, determine the intake level necessary to achieve desired effect, and demonstrate that the functional foods/bioactive compound(s) is not toxic at the efficacy level (3) Make approved health claims, (4) Get a special label for functional foods.” A uniform definition among scientists and policy makers will lead to providing functional food researchers to produce reliable research while bringing credible functional foods to the public.
Functional Food was first termed in Japan in the 1980s. In 1993, Nature published a paper on “Japan is exploring limits between food and medicine”. The Japanese food industry had begun to curate functional food products to meet the demands of the public and more science had to be done to learn about the health benefits of certain foods. Currently in Japan, functional food falls under the formal legislative food category called FOSHU (Food for Specified Health Use). Under FOSHU guidelines a Japanese food functional food product must first “demonstrate: 1) Effectiveness in clinical studies, 2) Safety in clinical and non-clinical studies, and 3) Determination of active/effective components".
The popularity of functional food started to expand in the global market and became more popular in Europe in the 1990s. In 1997, the European Commission defined functional foods as “A nutrient can only be easily considered functional if it was satisfactorily proved that it can positively change one or more target functions, besides nutritional effects, as to consistently improve health, well-being while reducing any affection risk. A functional food should ideally be a nutrient and should not change its efficacy when entering into a diet; it should not be either a pill or a capsule”. The European Commission based on this idea of functional food decided that a consistent scientific approach towards functional food was the best approach.
In the United States, United States Department of Agriculture- Agricultural Research Service (USDA -ARS) define functional foods as “designed to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions, and may be similar in appearance to conventional food and consumed as part of a regular diet”. Currently, the United States has not accepted one legal definition of functional foods, which has caused challenges for food scientists and the functional food industry.
Since 1998 Functional Food Center (FFC) has been working professionally in the field of functional food science and all efforts, jointly with the Academic Society of Functional Foods and Bioactive Compounds (ASFFBC) and Journal of Functional Food in Health and Disease, are towards standardizing the functional foods definition for scientists, functional food manufacturers, policy makers, and the public.
Definition of Functional Foods by Functional Food Center
The Functional Food Center (FFC) defines functional foods as “natural or processed foods that contain known or unknown biologically-active compounds; which, in defined amounts, provide a clinically proven and documented health benefit for the prevention, management, or treatment of chronic disease”. This definition is unique to other definitions by emphasizing bioactive compounds as the "backbone" of functional food research.
The definition was first widely discussed in 2012 at the FFC’s 10th International Conference in Santa Barbara, CA. Attendees, including medical professionals, researchers, students, and public health professionals accepted this definition, which has help cement the FFC’s call for global acceptance of this new definition.
Breakdown of the Definition
The definition first highlights that functional foods can be considered “natural or processed”. Under this definition, foods in changed or unchanged forms can be classified functional. Examples of natural unchanged foods are pure oranges or avocados, while folate-fortified cereals are an example of changed or processed food.
Second, it should be mentioned that “functional foods can have known or unknown biologically active (bioactive) compounds”. Bioactive compounds are the source of the functional affect of functional food. Bioactive compounds can include: phenolic compounds, lipids, proteins and peptides, carbohydrates, flavonoids, capsaicinoids, lignin, tepenoids, carotenoids, chlorophylls, vitamins, stilbene, phenolic acids, fibers, sterols, lipids, fatty acids, and polysaccharides. The definition includes known or unknown bioactive compounds because the research may have not yet identified certain compounds or discovered the mechanism and physiology of the effects of the described compound.
Third, the definition emphasizes that in non-toxic amounts should functional foods with bioactive compounds be consumed. Correct dosages of bioactive compounds, especially in functional foods, are pertinent to follow for therapeutic purposes. These dosages may also change if the functional food prevents one or more diseases. For example, if a functional food is found to prevent Type II Diabetes and certain forms of cancer then research needs to be done to correctly describe the dosage for each therapeutic purpose. More research needs to be done to find what dosage of the functional food is appropriate for better therapeutic strategies for the prevention, management, and treatment of chronic diseases.
Furthermore, the definition stresses that functional food must “provide a clinically proven and documented health benefit”. The health effect and purpose of the functional food with bioactive compound must be demonstrated successfully in extensive clinical studies, involving human trials, to be accepted by the functional food science community, healthcare professionals, policy makers, and consumers. Casual relationships between functional foods and the prevention, management, or treatment of chronic disease must be established through high scientific standards of pre-clinical and clinical trials. Epidemiological and cohort studies on the effects of the functional food in human populations should also be studied.
At the 19th International Conference of FFC at Kobe University, Japan, Danik M. Martirosyan, PhD, President, Functional Food Center/Functional Food Institute, Dallas, TX, USA, gave a talk on “A new definition for functional food by FFC: Creating functional food products using new definition”. A new definition for functional food will help functional food products be approved for consumer use and improve the already successful food industry. Dr. Martirosyan also discussed how to bring functional food products to market. Additionally, there was a panel discussion on the efficacy and safety of bioactive food compounds. There are exceedingly important questions about the efficacy and safety of functional foods and bioactive compounds involving the definition of functional food, so there was organized a special panel discussion on the efficacy and safety of bioactive food compounds. Panelists included: Kenichi Yoshida (Professor, Kobe University, Japan), Ro Osawa (Professor, Kobe University, Japan), Francesco Marotta (MD, PhD, ReGenera Research Group for Aging, Italy), Pamela Starke-Reed (PhD, Deputy Administrator, Nutrition, Food Safety and Quality, USDA, USA), Danik Martirosyan (PhD, Functional Food Center, USA), and Hiroshi Maeda (Professor, Sojo University, Japan).
Other Promotion of the Definition
In order to promote the definition to students and the public, a large-scale project was taken on to publish the textbook, Introduction to Functional Food Science. The book has been used in many classrooms all over the world, including the following countries: the United States, Japan, Denmark, Brazil, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Korea, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Mexico, India, Finland, Croatia, Nova Scotia, Thailand, Israel, and more. A chapter was dedicated to all of the details on the important issues surrounding the definition of functional food including the “challenges due to the absence of a proper definition”, “expanding worldwide consumer acceptance”, and the “steps to bringing functional foods to market”. The key steps to bring a functional food product to market are: “(1) Identify the relationship between the bioactive compound and the health benefit, (2) Demonstrate efficacy, determine the intake level necessary to achieve desired effect, and demonstrate that the functional foods/bioactive compound(s) is not toxic at the efficacy level (3) Make approved health claims, (4) Get a special label for functional foods.” A uniform definition among scientists and policy makers will lead to providing functional food researchers to produce reliable research while bringing credible functional foods to the public.