European Legislation on Food Supplement Claims and Fortification Becomes Effective in 2007: Food Supplement Manufacturers Prepare to Safeguard the European Market

摘要

On May 17, 2006, the European Parliament (EP) voted in favor of 2 pieces of legislation: (1) the "Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation" and (2) the "Regulation on the Addition of Vitamins and Minerals and of Certain Other Substances to Foods." Thesemeasures tighten the rules for functional foods and food supplements manufacturers in Europe and for those exporting to Europe. The adoption of these 2 measures by the EP did not come as a surprise. In the course of the previous week, compromise packages had been negotiated between the EP and the European Union's Member States (Council). During the first reading of the claims proposal, the EP rejected the concept of nutrient profiles and premarketing authorization procedure, but the proposals by the Council were later accepted with only slight modifications.