Article 13.5 fast track decision will nourish competitive market

摘要

The European Commission's decision to fast track claims based on newly developed science and those requesting proprietary data protection will help companies keep ahead of the competition, an industry consultant has said. Patrick Coppens, Food Law Manager at Brussels consultancy EAS, said that the decision to allow these claims to be submitted in February 2008 instead of having to wait until 2010 will boost industry competitiveness on the European Union food market.rnThe procedure, which falls under Article 13.5 of the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation, enables companies to have their file approved through an accelerated procedure, and allows exclusive use of their proprietary data for five years.