Food and health: Advanced food development and functional foods from Finland

Finland is considered the world leader in the development of functional or health-enhancing foods. The Finnish diet has been astonishingly functional throughout the ages.

Our forefathers cultivated rye, oats and barley and dried the crops for the long winter ahead, when they were used to make porridge or fermented bread. They picked berries in the woods in the summer, preserved lingonberries for the winter and looked for cranberries under the melting snow in early spring. From today's perspective, food contained a large amount of fibre, flavonoids, lignans, pro- and prebiotics.

Functional foods have not as yet been defined by legislation in Europe. Generally, functional foods are considered to be products which, in addition to their nutritional function, have been scientifically proven to enhance health or prevent illness.

Xylitol combats cavities

Xylitol is the first Finnish functional food ingredient whose health impact has been scientifically proven. Xylitol's health-promoting effects on teeth have been proven in many scientific studies. Xylitol cuts off acid attacks, prevents cavities, reduces the amount of plaque and prevents mothers infecting their children with caries. Xylitol also reduces children's ear infections.

Xylitol is a sweetener that occurs naturally. Xylitol is typically manufactured from birch trees or other natural xylan-rich sources. Xylitol is used round the world, mainly as a sweetener in chewing gums and pastilles.

Xylitol is recommended by professionals worldwide. In 1988 the Finnish Dental Association gave the first xylitol endorsement in the world, followed by the Swedish and Norwegian Dental Associations. Using xylitol products regularly after a meal has become a healthy and common habit in the daily life of many Finns. In 92 % of Finnish day care centres children are using xylitol products daily. This kind of preventive dental care work is globally unique.

Friendly dairy bacteria

Finland's biggest dairy company Valio has been a long-time forerunner in probiotics research, commercialization and marketing. Adopting the most rigorous scientific criteria, Valio's research tradition is based on the groundwork laid by the historic achievements of former Valio Laboratory Director, Nobel laureate Professor A.I. Virtanen.

Valio has a number of important dairy partners around the world and licensed products are on the market in over 40 countries.
Starting in the 1990s with the probiotic bacterial strain Lactobacillus GG (LGG®), leading dairy companies continue to adopt new Valio technologies and apply them to their own products. Valio is the only company in the world to produce completely lactose-free fresh dairy products. The company has also developed a unique method to produce totally lactose free milk that tastes like normal milk. Valio's range of lactose free products covers nearly all basic dairy produce. This technology is available to Valio's partners and is already being applied in a number of markets.

As many as one in five adults in the West suffers from a stressed stomach which manifests itself periodically as painful bloating, flatulence, abdominal discomfort and variable bowel movement. The underlying cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a harmless but inconvenient ailment, is unknown. And there is no effective medication for it. Studies have shown Valio's patented combination of four functional bacteria to reduce abdominal symptoms in 76% of study subjects. The combination calms a stressed stomach, increases immunity and can be obtained from Valio Gefilus MAX daily dose drinks.

Benecol on the world map

One of the brightest stars among Finnish functional foods is Benecol®, the first ever commercial food ingredient to utilise the specific effect of plant sterols on cholesterol absorption. The launch of Benecol®-margarine sparked active interest internationally. "It is like an atomic bomb we didn't mean to invent," Jukka Maki, Raisio's former deputy chief executive told the New York Times in 1996. "We were just looking for a better margarine. We never thought it would be that big."

Today, Benecol® branded products are sold in nearly 30 countries world-wide. Benecol® also has diversified from spreads like margarine and milk into more lively, lower-fat foods such as beverages, yoghurts, yoghurt drinks, porridge, pastas, ready-made meals and snacks..

Less salt

As early as the 1970s, Professor Heikki Karppanen developed a mineral salt product containing reduced sodium and added potassium and magnesium. Once it was discovered how to disguise the taste of mineral salt, production of the very successful Pansalt began in Finland in the 1980s.

Pansalt helps to balance the intake of minerals which affect blood pressure. The beneficial effects of Pansalt on blood pressure have been confirmed by many international studies. Pansalt is patented in more than 20 countries. There are also four spice mixes which contain Pansalt: Barbeque, Lemon Pepper, Hot Seasoning pepper mix and Garlic salt. All the Pansalt products are marketed by Oriola Oy.

Multifaceted grain

Finns have traditionally consumed a great deal of rye. The health-promoting effects of fibre, minerals and B-group vitamins in rye bread have long been known. Finns eat approximately 50 kg of bread per person per year. One third of that is rye bread. In Finland, different regions of the country have their own rye traditions in addition to the nationwide favourites.

Finnish rye bread is whole-grain - in other words, the whole grain gets milled. This makes Finnish rye bread extremely healthy and rich in fibre, and it also distinguishes it from rye bread made in other countries. The Finnish bakery industry is making a concerted effort to export its rye products. For example, Vaasan & Vaasan has developed its fibre-rich FINN CRISP crispbreads specifically with export markets in mind. Today FINN CRISP crispbread products are exported to over 40 countries around the world.Vaasan & Vaasan has also added the FDA health claim to its packages in the US.

Special dietary products

Food allergies and absorption disorders have always been taken seriously in Finland, and there is a variety of special products on the market for those following a special diet. Lactose intolerance is common in Finland.

Coeliac patients are probably catered for better in Finland than in any other country. The significance of a gluten-free diet is widely recognised here, with gluten-free products available in ordinary shops. Finland’s extensive knowledge of coeliac disease stems in part from the country’s exceptionally high proportion of coeliac patients, around 1 per cent of the adult population.

Finnish bakery Moilas Oy is the second biggest gluten-free bakery in Europe. The plant is also one of the most modern in Europe. Naturally gluten-free products are made using only top quality raw materials and leading edge technology. The baking technology used by Moilas for gluten-free baked products is one of the most advanced in Europe. Products are frozen and packed directly from the oven. They retain their freshness and taste with this process. Freezing the products also ensures that they need no added preservatives. The gluten-free product range now includes plain bread, rolls, baguettes, pizzas, small savoury pastries, and sweet pastries.

Investing in research and innovation

Finland is constantly investing in functional food research. In recent years several projects have been commercialised and Finnish novelties have been exported to several countries. Clinical tests on the link between health and food are carried out by universities, the National Public Health Institute and Oy Foodfiles Ltd, which is an independent private research institute. Finally there is uniform EU regulation of nutrition and health claims made on foods. In principle, any reference to the treatment or prevention of a disease is still forbidden in marketing and labelling of food. However, if the health-enhancing impact of foods has been repeatedly tested in clinical studies and evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority and a claim has been entered in the register of the EU, a mention to this effect can be made. If a food with a health claim contains new bioactive ingredients, its safety must be tested and evaluated. Foodfiles serves its customer companies in clinical testing and regulatory affairs of foods with health claims and novel foods. This type of service concept further enhances the readiness of Finnish companies to develop new functional foods.