BOOKS
Regulation of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals
Although the title of this book might imply that the regulation of functional foods and nutraceuticals is complete, the situation is still very fluid, even in the United States and Japan, the countries furthest along in the development of these regulations.
The book can be divided into three parts. In the first, the editor has done a fine job of setting the stage with several chapters describing functional foods and nutraceuticals from various perspectives, defining terms, and providing some informative case studies.
She follows this orientation with some very cogent discussions by authors from leading Washington, D.C.–based law firms and a consumer advocacy group. The attorneys describe the ontology of the guidance and regulation as a product of the several laws and precedent in play on this issue, including the development of the “exclusionary clause” and the “prior market clause” and the far-reaching importance of Pearson v. Shalala, which required an overhaul of the guidance the Food and Drug Administration had attempted to put in place. These forces continue to shape the guidelines and invite new issues to come forward, all of which should be a warning that it is too early to draw bright lines and that regulations cannot get ahead of the science.
The third and largest part of the book consists of chapters describing regulations in specific countries and supranational regulatory bodies and, importantly, how cultural influences have shaped regulations. Valuable insight is provided on why regulations are sometimes so different from, or so similar to, those in the U.S.
The editor has done a very good job of keeping her authors on point and presentations consistent, so it is possible to make some one-on-one comparisons between chapters. Redundancy and space-gluttonous lists have been kept to a minimum, making for an interesting book for anyone with an interest in the area.
Books Received
Asian Functional Foods. John Shi, Chi-Tang Ho, and Fereidoon Shahidi. CRC Press LLC.1 ISBN: 0-8247-5855-2.
Beverages in Nutrition and Health. Ted Wilson and Norman J. Temple, eds. Humana Press Inc.2 ISBN: 1-59259-415-8.
Bioterrorism and Food Safety. Barbara A. Rasco and Gleyn E. Bledsoe. CRC Press LLC.1 ISBN: 0-8493-2787-3.
Distillation Theory and Its Application to Optimal Design of Separation Units. F.B. Petlyuk. Cambridge University Press.3 ISBN: 0-521-82092-8.
Experimental Design for Formulation. Wendell F. Smith. ASA-SIAM Series on Statistics and Applied Probability. Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics and American Statistical Association.4 ISBN: 0-89871-580-6.
Fat Crystal Networks. Alejandro G. Marangoni, ed. Marcel Dekker.5 ISBN: 0-8247-4075-0.
Leche + Cuajo = Queso + Suero. (in Spanish). Enno von Schirmeister. Distribuidora Alcatraz S.A. de C.V.6
The Mycotoxin Blue Book. Duarte Diaz, ed. Nottingham University Press.7 ISBN: 1-904761-19-4.
New Discoveries in Agrochemicals. J. Marshall Clark and Hideo Ohkawa, eds. American Chemical Society Symposium Series. Oxford University Press.8 ISBN: 0-8412-3903-7.
Re-defining Mineral Nutrition. J.A. Taylor-Pickard and L.A. Tucker, eds. Nottingham University Press.7 ISBN: 1-904761-30-5.
1CRC Press LLC. Call 800-272-7737 in U.S. or 561-994-0555 in Canada, or visit www.crcpress.com. 2Humana Press Inc. Call 973-256-1699 or visit www.humanapress.com. 3Cambridge University Press. Call 212-337-5057 or e-mail [email protected]. 4Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. Call 215-382-9800 or visit www.siam.org. American Statistical Association. Call 703-684-1221 or visit www.amstat.org. 5Marcel Dekker. Call 800-228-1160 or visit www.dekker.com. 6Distribuidora Alcatraz S.A. de C.V. Call +52(55) 5341 6767 or e-mail [email protected]. 7Nottingham University Press. Call +44(0)115 983, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.nup.com. 8Oxford University Press. Call 800-445-9714 or 919-677-0977.
Clare M. Hasler, ed.
IFT Press/Blackwell Publishing Professional, 2121 State Ave., Ames, IA 50014. Call 800-862-6657 or 515-292-0155 or visit www.blackwellprofessional.com ISBN: 0-8138-1177-5. 2005. 411 pp.
Reviewed by: George A. Burdock, Founder and President, Burdock Group, Vero Beach, Fla.