To date, EFSA has issued negative opinions on more than 80% of the article 13.1 general function claims (which are based on 'generally accepted science') submitted, prompting fears that only a handful of ingredients will in future be permitted to carry health claims in Europe with the exception of minerals and vitamins.

Meanwhile, claims based on new science and/or proprietary data (article 13.5) or claims about children or disease risk reduction (article 14) have received an equally chilly response.

So far, just one article 13.5 claim - about Provexis' heart-healthy tomato extract Fruitflow - has passed muster from a pool of more than 20 applications.

Excluding claims about vitamins and minerals, the only article 14 claims to gain the green light (from a pool of more than 60 submissions) cover plant sterols/stanols and the reduction of 'bad' LDL cholesterol; alpha-linolenic acid and brain development; and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA and visual development in infants.