ESSNA
The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) played down sector impact for its pan-European members spanning ingredient suppliers and manufacturers, but warned Britain's exit would lose an influential liberal voice in EU negotiations.
“ESSNA represents the interest of sports nutrition companies across the EU and therefore sees the referendum through this wide perspective. ESSNA is keen to stress first and foremost that we have no view on whether the UK should or should not leave the EU itself, which is a matter for British voters," said Dr Adam Carey, chair of ESSNA.
“Should the UK wish to leave then we can probably guess at some of the developments that will affect our members based in the UK. Sports nutrition is tightly regulated at EU level, and it is at this level that the vast body of food safety legislation is adopted. The reality is that whatever happens, UK companies will still have to comply with EU legislation if they want to trade across the continent, and the UK will most probably continue to follow rules adopted at EU level - as we see with Switzerland and Norway today.
"In any case it is unlikely that the UK will take a dramatically different position anyway as far as food safety is concerned, though of course it will lose its place at the decision making table and much of its influence over the development of the legislation by which its businesses are affected.
“It is more difficult to know what impact BREXIT will have on the EU itself. Losing Britain certainly means losing a strong liberal voice when it comes to making EU law, which could see a return to the burdensome laws and regulations that we had hoped the Commission had left behind.”