Fresh produce functions as healthy option

What is functional food?

My definition would be anything that adds benefits other than a calorific count, so all fresh produce is functional food, but I think health plus-points should not be limited to superfoods - all fruit is good for you.

There has been a huge move for consumers to choose food that is more natural. A recent study showed that UK consumers want to get health benefits from food that is as natural as possible, rather than supplements or anything like that, and this is where fresh produce comes in.

Which qualities are the most important in functional food?

I think taste, flavour and convenience have to be a given and, the way I see it, they give me permission to talk about health benefits. If you don’t have these qualities, health does not enter the equation - the fruit has to be great tasting and natural, and in a convenient form, and then nutrition can come into it.

What trends are emerging from within the established fruit and health market?

Some trends are already well-established - such as the increased level of processing and branding of fruit products - while others, particularly the use of cisgenics to breed new fruits with multiple new health traits, are only just being explored. The marketing of fruit and fruit products as “functional” foods or ingredients is still a relatively new concept, so there is plenty of room for development.

First, I’d say there is a need to evolve from a generic position, such as antioxidant properties or nutrient density studies, to more defined and well-supported points of difference, such as gut health or immunity.

Consumers will become bored with being told the latest fruit product has even more antioxidants than the previous offering, and marketers will struggle to distinguish their products from those of others and justify to consumers why ‘more antioxidant is good’ and that they should pay more for it. This will encourage marketers to start being specific about function, rather than just content. That means more research into specific fruit physiology, and more money spent on clinical trials that can prove health benefits to humans.

Who will drive this research?

Consumers will take the lead. They can be led a little by available science, and they have to believe that the fruit can credibly deliver the promised benefit, but on the whole they will define the health issues that are important to them and it will be up to the industry to find products that meet those expectations.

Consumers are getting the message that fruit is a powerhouse of health-promoting compounds, but they are not able to buy many fruit-based products that meet their specific needs as athletes or sports people. That is a big gap in the market which will be filled by clever marketers who can offer these natural products tied in with a demonstrable benefit, such as aiding recovery, or reducing inflammation.

There has been a lot of research into the health benefits of high-margin products, such as pomegranates and blueberries, but where does commodity fruit fit in?

It is incredible how little science has been done on traditional fruits, and how closely that can be connected with their commodity status, say when compared to products like berries. This will change. Around the world there are billions of dollars invested in established fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, and oranges, and people want to protect that investment. They are beginning to undertake research that will give those crops a powerful health message that will rival that of berries or pomegranates.

It makes sense from a consumer perspective too - if your smoothie is 80 per cent apple and 20 per cent other fruits, you are going to want to know what benefits you are getting from the bulk of the product, not just the most-hyped ingredient.

There is a danger that when a lot of hype creates a fad health product, a new fad will come along and replace it, but it really is staggering how much research has been done on high-margin or more unusual products, when commodity fruit has not had nearly as much research done on it. But there will be more work done in this area and, as it is completed, there will more marketing opportunities for traditional fruit. Health is not the only positive quality of fruit, but it is very important.

So what research is in the pipeline?

Work is being done on apples, looking at satiety [the feeling of fullness] and the reduction of inflammation, as well as the effect on cognitive functions.

Research is also being carried out on fruit extracts - which I cannot name - that shows they have calming properties and, in the long term, this could lead to the creation of a natural calming product based on fruit.

The amount of research that needs to be done is driven by what acclaim or message you want to give about any given product. Soft messages around healthy eating and the benefits of eating the five recommended portions of fruit and vegetables a day can work well, but to distinguish one product from the mass market, more research and chemical trials are needed.

These can be extraordinarily expensive, costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, but I absolutely think that if you have a club variety or limited circulation, it is worth doing the research.