**Abstract**

Functional foods are any whole, fortified, enhanced, or improved foods that provide health benefits beyond the availability of fundamental components when consumed in effective amounts as part of a varied diet regularly (e.g., minerals and vitamins). Based on the type of evidence, this review segregates a range of functional foods. Furthermore, not even all foods labeled as functional foods on the market today are backed up by enough data to substantiate such claims. In the food and nutrition sciences, functional foods are presently one of the most thoroughly researched and encouraged fields. This topic evaluates the complex nature of trying to define functional foods, and also the categorizations of food products introduced to the market as functional, legislation of functional foods, science-based supporting evidence and development of functional ingredients investigation, and a statement to registered dietitians and dieticians specialists on how to keep up to date on nutritional and functional investigation and its interpretation to buyers.

**Keywords:** functional food, food ingredient, health, food security
