What is special food

Special diet, that is, formulated food for special groups of people. The "General Rules for the Labeling of Pre-packaged Foods for special Diets" officially implemented by the State on October l, 2005, is defined as: "Foods specially processed according to special formulas to meet the physiological needs of some special populations or the nutritional needs of patients with certain diseases." According to the standard, this type of food should be clearly marked on the outer packaging of special groups of people different from ordinary food, specific special formulas.

There are two requirements for the special meal:

First, a certain type of food or a certain type of food is most suitable for specific (special) people to eat, such as infants, young children, diabetes patients, people who are seriously lacking in certain nutrients, etc. Due to physiological reasons, the dietary structure required by this group of people is significantly different from that of the general population.

Second, the nutritional content of foods prepared for this population is significantly different from that of comparable ordinary foods, with some containing very low or very high levels of nutrients. Infant formula milk powders, such as those required by non-breastfed infants, are significantly different in nutrient composition and content from those consumed by adults.

Two conditions at the same time, can be called special food.

The difference between special food and ordinary food:

The purpose of eating special diet is to strengthen nutrition for special people, reduce metabolic burden, regulate physiological function, and reduce drug side effects. Ordinary food only provides the basic nutrients needed by the human body to meet the normal physiological needs.

Special diet has special nutritional directivity, providing special people with rich nutrients that are difficult to take in from ordinary daily meals, while ordinary food has no clear pertinence for special people. Therefore, special recipes and processes need to be used to ensure the pertinence of their ingredients and the directivity of their functions.