In the latest batch of 31 opinions (grouped from 416 submissions) from EFSA’s NDA panel we can see that this process of assessment is setting a precedent for the acceptance of only vitamins and minerals. The big losers are not unexpected antioxidants and probiotic based claims which have been rejected across the board. For the industry this is scary especially for the likes of the superfruit / smoothie market and giants such as Innocent, known for their use of the term Antioxidant on marketing materials and commercial communications. The opinions relate not only to the lack of characterisation...

As of the 19th of January 2010 ‘nutrition claims’ such as low GI, Isotonic and hypotonic are under threat by enforcement bodies throughout the EU. For those in the weight management or sports nutrition market, labelling and other forms of commercial communication using such claims could be removed by enforcement agencies. Under the terms of the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (EC No 1924/2006) those claims not currently contained within the 24 approved claims in the Annex (Article 8 ) cannot legally be maintained. The Annex of the regulation provides a list of specific nutrition...