At The Whey Ahead conference, Kinga Adamashvili, representing the European Whey Processors Association (EWPA) and European Dairy Association (EDA), told NutraIngredients that the growing disconnect between scientific research and EU legislation presents a significant challenge for ingredient suppliers and manufacturers.
“Regulation does not follow real life,” she said. “What is happening on the ground with companies, with innovation, with science, it goes so incredibly fast that regulation does not have a chance to follow.”
While acknowledging that the democratic legislative process takes time, Adamashvili argued that policymakers must create a more flexible framework that can accommodate scientific progress and support innovation.
Whey protein opportunities beyond sports nutrition
Adamashvili highlighted the expanding applications for whey protein beyond its traditional sports nutrition market, particularly in healthy aging and weight management.
As populations age, demand is growing for nutritional solutions that help consumers maintain active lifestyles while addressing age-related health challenges.
She also identified consumers taking weight-loss medications as an emerging target group for protein-rich nutritional products.
For these individuals, who may struggle to consume large volumes of food, nutrient-dense formulations could help support adequate protein intake.
“You have to make sure that the meals they consume are nutritionally balanced and they get enough nutrients, including protein, in a smaller volume,” she explained.
Whey protein, she added, is particularly well positioned to meet these evolving nutritional needs.
Health claims legislation under scrutiny
However, Adamashvili warned that the EU’s Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, introduced nearly two decades ago, is restricting how companies can communicate emerging scientific findings to consumers.
“We do see a disconnection between what science would be able to communicate to consumers versus what we are actually legally allowed to communicate,” she said.
With ingredient innovation and research advancing significantly since the legislation was introduced, she called for an update that would allow businesses to communicate newer scientific evidence within the regulatory framework.
Adamashvili argued that the current restrictions also risk preventing consumers from accessing potentially valuable nutritional information.
“Communication that is legally allowed does not follow the science and the scientific research, in my opinion,” she concluded.
Watch the full interview to hear Adamashvili discuss the future of whey protein innovation, emerging consumer opportunities and the regulatory challenges facing Europe’s dairy ingredients sector.
