Superfood

actually provide moderate levels of nutrients compared to many vegetables and other fruits. The term has no official definition by regulatory authorities in major consumer markets, such as the United States Food and Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture or the European Food Safety Authority. It appears to have been first used in a Canadian newspaper in 1949 when referring to the supposed nutritional qualities of a muffin. The ruling was a marketing guide issued to manufacturers to assure scientific proof or evidence why a food would be labeled as extra healthy or classified as a superfood. According to Cancer Research UK, "the term 'superfood' is really just a marketing tool, with little scientific basis to it". Although superfoods are often promoted as preventing or curing diseases, including cancer, Cancer Research UK cautioned that they "cannot substitute for a generally healthy and balanced diet". Superfruits are a subset of superfoods as first used in 2004. The designation of a fruit as a superfruit is entirely up to the product manufacturer, as the term is primarily used to create consumer demand. The Irish Cancer Society has described the use of superfoods as a scam to promote false hope that certain foods can cure cancer. ==Examples==

The Dutch food safety organization Voedingscentrum ('Nutrition Centre') noted that the health claims marketers used to sell goji berry, hemp seed, chia seed, and wheatgrass were not scientifically proven. The organization warned that people who consumed such foods in large quantities may develop an "impaired, one-sided diet". Specifically, blueberries are not especially nutrient dense (a superfood characteristic); they have moderate content of only three essential nutrients: vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese. ==History and economics==

In 2007, the superfoods category was forecast to become a billion-dollar global industry by 2011, with several thousand new superfruit products expected to enter the marketplace. According to Datamonitor, superfruit product launches grew at a rate of 67% (2007–2008), but underwent significant category erosion beginning in 2011, when introductions of food and nonfood products featuring pomegranate, açaí or goji declined by 56% (2011–2012 vs. 2009–2010). Earlier reports showed pomegranate-based products grew nearly 400% over 2005–2007 from new product launches, a gain that exceeded the previous six years. Similarly, sales of XanGo, a multiple-fruit juice containing mangosteen juice, grew from $40 million in 2002 to $200 million in 2005. Five thousand new products were introduced in 2005 based on berries alone. The superfruit category was one of the top 10 global trends in consumer products in 2008. Over the years 2011 to 2015, the number of food or beverage products containing the words "superfood", "superfruit" or "supergrain" doubled. Grains such as quinoa, barley, spelt, and millet are marketed as "heritage" or "ancient" superfoods because they have been consumed over centuries, are perceived as a whole food, and require minimal processing. ==See also==