Food for Special Medical Purposes: EU Harmonization

摘要

Foods for special medical purposes (FSMP) are in rapid development in Europe, mainly due to the ease of placing them on the market and the strong communication that can be made on them. However, there are huge discrepancies in the way of assessing the scientific evidences substantiating such products among Member States. Despite a common European legislation on FSMP, some products authorized in a country may be forbidden in others. Faced with this situation, the European Commission has requested the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to provide a scientific and technical guidance for the assessment of products notified as FSMP. This involvement of EFSA in the FSMP evaluation is the first sign of a European harmonization.