The European Union botanicals sector has been in limbo since 2010 when 2078 botanical health claim applications were placed on hold as the European Commission bowed to pressure to reconsider the scientific criteria for their validation. With no end to...
The use of novel phytochemomics technologies will define cause and effect relationships for phytochemicals that will assist in the substantiation of health claims for herbals and botanicals, say researchers.
Organic food brands should not be afraid of using health claims to market their products, as a new study suggests the two concepts are not as incompatible as the industry may fear.
Belgian, French and Italian authorities have agreed a preliminary list of botanical substances for use in foods and supplements, after a meeting in Rome yesterday.
The bakery industry may prefer nutrition content to genuine health claims - a state-of-affairs that reflects the relative few claim-backed nutrients available to breads, cereals, bars and other baked products – but options do exist.
The health-conscious yet frugal consumer is increasingly difficult to convince, even when presented with a plethora of health and nutrition claims on pack. So, just how can manufacturers prompt that purchase?
Europe is set to sink into a progressive nutrition dark age under the heavy hand of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) regime, says a leading food law attorney.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is "creating more problems than it solves" with its narrow interpretation of what constitutes a generic health claim descriptor.
Health claims in food and beverage products is perhaps the most talked about topic in the entire food production chain outside of GM. In mature markets like the US—and now Australasia—at least there has been frameworks implemented to rationalise the claim-making...
"They are scientists performing a very difficult task, as instructed by EU law makers."
Last week NutraIngredients was one of 10 organisations invited to observe the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claims panel in action for a day at its Parma, Italy, base.
EFSA’s health claims panel has rejected 6 article 13.5 health claims for two digestion-focused probiotic submissions; cranberry and UTI; a potato extract and weight management; krill and menstrual discomfort; and fizzy water and GI response.
EU health claim laws that have banned the use of terms like probiotics and antioxidants because they are deemed to be implied claims, are “absurd”, a pressure group has said.
Mooted labelling changes in the European Union that will place warnings about omega-3 consumption have received a guarded welcome from the global group that represents the sector.
An article in ‘Nature’ magazine welcoming tough EU health claim laws has highlighted the conundrum facing EU regulators if the Union is to adopt different claim-substantiation criteria for about 2000 ‘on-hold’ botanical claims.
Parties on both sides of table have welcomed the recent decision by Australian and New Zealand ministers responsible for food regulation on the issue of health claims in the region.
As attention turns to the enforcement of the EU’s controversial article 13, general function health claims list after a six month waiting period, an expert on the ground in Italy says the country’s policies will encourage law breaking.
From today food and supplement products marketed in the EU’s 27 member states must comply with the article 13, permitted list of health claims or face prosecution for misleading marketing.
With the December 14 enforcement of the EU's article 13 general function health claim list that includes 200+ approved claims and about 1500 rejections just two days away (after a six month lay-period), we polled key players for core reactions.
As the formlisation of the main organ (article 13.1 list) of the nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) kicks in this week, Professor Ambroise Martin, the new chair of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claims panel, tells NutraIngredients...
Italian food supplements trade group FederSalus has brought an action against the EU nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) in European Union courts.
Health claims are not the be-all and end-all when it comes to marketing health food products, says Alan Ruth, CEO of the Irish Health Trade Association, in this guest article.
A new EU project aims to tackle how consumers interpret health claims and symbols on food products in the hope of developing future guidelines on how such claims can be used to strengthen informed choice, healthy eating and industrial competitiveness.
Probiotic yogurt brands and supermarket own-label equivalents are leading a revolution in marketing of these products in advance of a ban, which comes into effect in December.
Consumer demand is sustaining probiotics sales, despite the blow of the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA's) health claims rejections, say some of industry's main players.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) appears to have nailed shut the door for soy-cholesterol reducing health claims in the European Union, after dismissing a series of formal objections to its third rejection of the bean’s cholesterol-lowering capacity.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will host a health claims seminar in Copenhagen next week in conjunction with the National Food Institute at the Technical University of Denmark.
It’s official. Companies have six months – until December – to comply with the controversial European Union article 13, general function health claims register which today won final approval from the European Commission.
Vitafoods celebrates its 15th birthday next week. It’ll be my 11th consecutive May visit to Geneva for the jamboree and promises to be one of the most intriguing chapters with the (partial and belated) resolution of years of ambiguity regarding health...
The British Specialist Nutrition Association (BSNA) says the 222-claim strong, European Union general function health claims list that is set to enter law books as early as next month, is a just reward for the investment made by the food industry across...
Many food and drink manufacturers are set to abandon health claims approval under new EU legislation and go, instead, for nutrition claims, for which the approvals hurdle is much lower, according to experts.
Manufacturers are still not sure how much flexibility they have in wording health claims because guidance from the European Commission (EC) is not yet available.
The UK’s 220 Trading Standards (TS) agencies are failing to take action against products making ‘spurious’ health claims, a local charity has found after testing the system.
Irish MEP Marian Harkin said the European nutrition industry must look forward after a European Parliamentary committee yesterday rejected a bid to overturn a controversial, 222-strong health claims list.
The European Parliament’s Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI) has today voted to block the proposed veto to the Article 13 health claims register.
Europe’s premier food industry body, FoodDrinkEurope (FDE), is backing next week’s European Parliament (EP) vote on the controversial 222-strong health claim register, as opponents rally last-minute veto support.
Irish MEP Marian Harkin has become one of the most vocal European parliamentary opponents of the interpretation and application of the EU nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR), and she was not appeased by EC and EFSA statements at a specially...
The UK Department of Health has indicated nutrition-style claims like ‘contains glucosamine’ or ‘contains probiotics’ will be deemed implied health claims if they are the subject of negative EFSA opinions.
The UK food supplements and healthy foods industry is backing a motion among some European Parliamentarians to veto the article 13 health claims register containing 2000 rejections that could be law in three months.
Campaigning against the proposed health claims register for foods and food ingredients can now move to the next stage after Members of European Parliament by lodged an official objection to the planned list of approved and rejected health claims.
Loopholes in the law may save probiotic yogurt manufacturers from having to remove products from sale when the new EU nutrition and health claims legislation comes into effect.
The European Union, the Dutch government, academia and companies like Nestlé and DSM have united in two projects backed by €10m in an effort to develop “optimal health” biomarkers in areas like metabolic health that can be used to back health claims.
2012 will bring the greatest changes ever seen to European Union healthy foods and supplements marketing as the long-awaited 2000+-strong health claims register becomes law – but does a rejected health claim really matter?
Yakult failed to present the most basic evidence and sought a too-complicated immunity claim in the controversially rejected immunity health claim for its probiotic drinks, a UK consultant has said.
Five years ago the European Union nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) became law. Around the bloc, hopeful EU healthy foods and supplements stakeholders submitted more than 44,000 health claim applications.
Five years after the controversial European Union nutrition and health regulation (NHCR) was enacted, an article 13 general function health claims register of about 2200 claims has been OK’d by the European Commission and member states and is likely to...
The way consumers perceive the relevance of health claim labels has a strong influence on their attitudes towards personal benefit and willingness to buy products, suggest researchers.
L’Oreal and Nestlé joint venture Innéov told a beauty foods and supplements congress in Paris yesterday that the European Union health claims laws that have stung its marketing need to be completely overhauled.
Food producers may still be able to make unverified health claims about their products, despite tougher European regulations coming into force early next year.
US companies need to get up to speed with European Union health claim changes or face big hits on existing trade or missed opportunities, according to the chief of a leading UK supplements group.
