"Phoods" is the neoligism for the intersection of foods and pharmaceuticals.
They're the Frankenfood alternative for those paranoid about genetically-enhanced foodstuffs.
Eighty years ago Morton added iodine to its table salt to help eradicate goiter from the U.S. population.
Thus, 1924 marks the birth of this now-explosively growing industry.
Vitamin water, calcium-enhanced orange juice, cholesterol-lowering margarine, Kool-Aid that provides 100% of a child's daily vitamin C requirement, Creme Saver Smoothie boosted with calcium, Sunsweet Prune Juice with lutein, Kellogg's Smart Start with soy protein, Nestlé yogurt with probiotic bacteria, the list is endless.
The Phood business is now growing twice as fast as the overall food market, and the rate's accelerating.
In a few years, it's going to be hard to find a food that's not been enhanced or souped-up in some way.
In my opinion, it's all a big scam. You're not gonna be healthier because you ate enhanced or functional foods. You're just gonna be poorer.
Because there's always a price premium attached, even if the additive is basically cost-free. Which most of them are.
I mean, do you realize how infinitesimally little it costs to add a day's vitamin C requirement to a package of Kool-Aid? Much less than the extra nickel a package they'll extract from your wallet.
A nickel here, a nickel there, and pretty soon you're looking at a few hundred million dollars.
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