DIETARY AND FOOD SUPPLEMENTS EUROPE 2016ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM A TO Z

Abstract

The regulatory landscape with respect to food and food supplements in the European Union (EU) is complex. Nevertheless, this complexity is not unsurmountable. Key to the issue is food safety. Although this is sometimes at odds with consumer expectations, who are more interested in health benefits, from a regulatory point of view thorough safety evaluation is the basis for consumer trust and attitude. To ensure the ‘safety first’ principle various Regulations have been issues that roll out the requirement for, amongst others, food supplements. The General Food Law Regulation is the foundation of food and feed law. It sets outs an overarching and coherent framework for the development of food and feed legislation both at Union and national levels. To this end, it lays down general principles, requirements and procedures that underpin decision making in matters of food and feed safety, covering all stages of food and feed production and distribution. Food supplements are considered ‘Food’ in the EU. Apart from the General Food Law, specific regulations lists e.g. the vitamins and minerals and their forms that can be added to foods, including food supplements and food additives. In addition, newly developed and introduced ingredients are subject to Novel Food authorization. The food supplement market is a claims-driven market. The claims primarily pertain to the health benefits of an ingredient. Passing a thorough scientific assessment paves the way for your product to carry a health claim, which is highly likely to also facilitate market entry of your food, including the health claim, in other jurisdictions. In this session, a concise yet complete overview of the regulatory requirements a company has to comply with when introducing a new product on the EU market will be presented.