The European Food Safety Authority recently turned in its first health claim verdicts, rejecting eight of nine. European food regulations expert Lorène Courrège explains why EFSA’s tough health claim approach may stifle product innovation.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rejected a Martek Biosciences Corporation health claim submission relating infant brain and eye development with DHA (omega-3) and ARA (omega-6) consumption.
Imperfect as they may be, the European Union’s regulatory efforts in the food area have attracted the attention of regulators around the world, some of whom view what is being done in the bloc as a legislative template.
Europe’s health claim assessment process kicked off with the rejection of almost 90 per cent of the first bunch. But industry must accept its shortcomings if credibility is to be the winner.
The European Food Safety Authority has kicked off the eagerly awaited health claim assessment process with a slew of claim rejections signalling a hard line methodology that may see thousands of claims submissions binned.
The International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) is keeping up pressure on changing how health clams are substantiated by Codex.
Pan-European health and nutrition claims moved a step closer to reality after 2870 claims were delivered to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for assessment by January, 2010.
The European Commission has culled its gargantuan nutrition
and health claims list from more than 40,000 to 1500 as the
health claims process moves closer to fruition in January, 2010.
A seminar attended by key government and industry figures in Singapore has highlighted claim issues in south east Asia and given insights into managing the legislative change occurring in the region.
Italians and women are the most interested western Europeans
in digestive health claims while Dutch are the least, according to
new consumer research funded by French fibre specialist Syral.
"Subtle language differences" may confound regulators in
the midst of translating thousands of health claims ahead of a
pan-European 2010 approval deadline, according to various industry
sources.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a detailed 81-page
document advising companies on how to negotiate the various
European Commission processes involved in health claims submission,
approval and application.
