Update on Europe's health strategy
establishment of nutrition and health claims next week, said
Commissioner for Health David Byrne, speaking at a congress on
Children and Nutrition in Berlin this week.
The European Commission will continue discussions on the establishment of nutrition and health claims next week, said Commissioner for Health David Byrne, speaking at a congress on Children and Nutrition in Berlin this week.
Byrne outlined the actions being taken by European regulators to address the obesity epidemic, being experienced by ever younger members of the European population. But there seems to be little headway on proposals to issue a directive on health claims, planned for this month.
It is thought however that negotiations are underway to first develop a list of well established health claims for foods, based on those currently used by Member States, and a system of approving new claims. This would lead to a list of statements that are accepted by scientists, which could be used as health claims, expected to be available in August, according to law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner.
Other proposals from Byrne's department to improve the diets of Europeans include the harmonisation of measures concerning the fortification of foods. Measures currently in place vary across the Member States.
"We are discussing a framework to allow for criteria to be drawn up toprohibit foods from bearing claims or being fortified unless they have anappropriate nutritional profile. Such an appropriate profile could include limitations, in particular, of the content of fat, saturated and trans fatty acids, sugars and salt," said Byrne.
He added that this would not amount to classifying foods as either 'good' or'bad', or barring products from the market. It would however prevent products identified as 'having a negative impact on health' from bearing a health claim or being fortified, in other words, being marketed as good-for-you food.
"Food producers should not be permitted to push theconsumption of such foods (crisps etc) through the use of nutrition and health claims," said Byrne.
Also part of Byrne's new nutrition policy, designed to target the link between diet and chronic disease outlined in the WHO's recent report, is the reform of EU rules on nutrition labelling.
Nutrition labelling could be made mandatory so that consumers can find the same information, presented in the same way, across the majority of foods that they choose. This would make it easier to educate consumers about the nutritionlabel, and how to selecthealthy diets, said Byrne.
However he added that there is still a need for co-ordinated, multi-sector strategies, with a range of key stakeholders needed to develop clear, motivational messages to encouragepositive behavioural change.
He welcomed recent initiatives by industry to promote healthiereating such as by limiting the size of its portions and highlighted the important role of the food industry in communicating the importance of good nutrition, covering old ground such as the marketing of food products tochildren.
