ARTIFICIAL FORTIFICATION OF FOODSTUFFS
that manufacturers face is the language approved to describe the benefits of the health claim
Dominic says that one of the biggest challenges
A healthy challenge
Dominic Watkins explains how to make the most of the EU’s authorised claims list
In the increasingly competitive food market, it is vital for manufacturers to ensure that their products stand out from their competitors. The use of health and nutrition claims to make foodstuffs more attractive has always played a vital role in doing this.
Dominic Watkins is a Senior Associate in the regulatory team at DWF. For more information visit
www.dwf.co.uk.
New labelling regulations are soon to be rolled out across the EU, and the register of approved Health Claims has finally been agreed and will be in force from December 2012; Manufacturers will soon face a new set of challenges in terms of how they market their products. With that in mind, its important to look at how the new rules will affect the industry and consider any potential legal pitfalls that manufacturers could face.
H
owever, food legislation is currently in the midst of substantial change.
FIVE STEP APPROACH The health and nutrition claims made regarding food products have become more important to the marketing of products in recent years, as consumers become increasingly discerning in the quality of products they purchase. Such claims can make a product much more interesting and desirable, allowing manufacturers to charge a premium for them. While the claims that
manufacturers make about their products have always been required to be true and capable of substantiation, the EU has recently sought to take the regulation of such claims a step further. It has therefore ruled that only specifically authorised health claims – which have been subjected to rigorous scientific analysis by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) – may be made. When the more restrictive
EFSA-approved list of 222 claims comes into force in December this year, it will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the industry. Several well- established claims, which have historically been extensively used in the marketing of food products, have not been approved by the EFSA. Antioxidant and probiotic claims are probably the two most well- known examples, and, from 14th December onwards, manufacturers that currently market their products based on these claims will have to look for alternatives. Unsurprisingly, many food
businesses are currently in the process of identifying new, authorised claims that they will be able to use as the differentiating factor for their products. Some manufacturers have
identified that their products already contain enough of a
FMCGNews.co.uk | FMCG News | 35
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52