Nutritional and Health Claims
According to the Regulation (EC) no. 1924/2006 on nutritional and health information (claims) on food, all Food Business Operators (FBO) in the European Union are bound by the constraints, requirements and parameters associated with the use of health claims.
The purpose of the Regulation is to enhance the level of health protection for consumers, promoting correct information and more informed food choices. Based on the established criteria, it is not permitted to use terms or indications attributing to foods any properties such as to prevent, heal and/or cure diseases.
The claims in the Regulation are essentially divided as follows:
- nutritional indications
- health indications
- indications on the reduced disease risk
- indications referring to children’s development and health.
Companies can propose a new claim for a specific substance or ingredients submitting a dedicated dossier to the European Commission. The Commission – through the opinion of the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) experts – can authorise the claim if supported by appropriate and robust scientific evidence.
In Italy, in addition to the claims authorised in accordance to Regulation (EC) no. 1924/2006, the Decree of the Ministry of Health 10 August 2018 as amended on the use of herbal extracts and preparation in food supplements also includes ministry guidelines on the physiological effects of botanicals. These physiological effects can be used by companies while waiting for a definition of botanical claims in the EU.
Di Renzo Regulatory Affairs has a special unit dedicated to regulatory activities for food supplements and related products (Foods for Specific Groups, novel food etc.), and can assist companies in the examination of the nutritional claims to be reported in the label.
