Henry Collins
MKTG 445
2/6/14

Super Foods: Camu Camu in Peru

1) “A food or ingredient that has not been used for consumption by humans in the European union before 1997” is how a Novel Food is defined. Camu Camu falls into this category. To me this seems slightly silly. Regardless, there are options available for the Camu Camu fruit to be used alternatively. As stated in the case, in addition to some research I have done online, Camu Camu can be used as a Superfood Powder. This is considered Category B – “a special benefit able to be obtained through the controlled consumption of certain substances in foodstuffs (Council Directive 2009). An example of this is Swisse Beauty Superfood Powder. That being said, one option for an alternative use of Camu Camu is classifying as a Nutritional Supplement. Additionally, Camu Camu could be used as a cosmetic product. (Safety assessments and composition reports need to be presented in order to gain approval). For example, there are many cosmetic lines based around vitamin C. Camu Camu contains up to 30 times more vitamin C than an orange does. I understand that these regulations are in order to insure the safety of the consumer and also the regions where the fruit is from (i.e. deforestation). We should be taking advantage of these super foods, and if we approach the situation with concern then I can’t see anything bad happening. To put things into perspective, it cannot really get much worse than what we are doing worldwide – especially in America – with animal processing, among other things of that nature. Another concern of mine is that this powder lacks the fiber of the whole fruit. Thinking ahead into the future- will we just have powders for everything? Fiber is one of the most important assets of fruits and vegetables, if not the most important. * “The two main concerns associated with