Vitamins win claims battle

Products that include added vitamins and minerals will gain in popularity over the next few years as other 'functional' ingredients suffer under a tougher regulatory regime, according to the European Responsible Nutrition Alliance (ERNA).

Conversely, products containing botanicals and micro-organisms would lose ground in the European functional foods market, predicted ERNA secretary general Patrick Coppens. This was because, to date, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) had not issued a single positive opinion about health claims covering ingredients in either category.

Coppens was speaking at a NutraIngredients conference on health claims in Brussels last month.

In the first batch of opinions from EFSA about claims submitted under article 13 of the EU health claims Regulation, all claims about botanicals and micro-organisms were rejected, said Coppens. By contrast, just 5% of vitamin claims and 3% of mineral claims were rejected.

He added: "So far there has been a marked difference between EFSA's treatment of vitamins and minerals and its treatment of ingredients derived from botanicals and micro-organisms.

"Because of this, over the next few years, we expect to see a spike in product launches which include ingredients with approved health claims."

But failure to secure a health claim was not the end of the world, he said: "Just because food manufacturers cannot make health claims using certain ingredients does not mean they will roll over and let their businesses die. They will adapt products accordingly."

Regarding EFSA's approach to assessing health claims about botanicals, he said: "EFSA appeared to reject evidence from authoritative sources and monographs, thereby effectively refuting the whole market of botanical food ingredients."

He added: "We wonder what the position of the European Commission will be in relation to this approach in the light of proportionality."

ERNA is a trade organisation representing European food supplement manufacturers and suppliers and works with industry, consumer and regulatory bodies.