Food intended for Sportspeople: The EU's Regulatory Framework after 20 July 2016

Abstract

On 20 July 2016, a new legal framework comes into effect for the so-called “food for specific groups”, established by Regulation (EU) No. 609/2013 on food intended for infants and young children, food for special medical purposes, and total diet replacement for weight control (hereinafter, FSG Regulation). The FSG Regulation repeals Directive 2009/39/EC on foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses (hereinafter, the PARNUTS Directive). Food intended for sportspeople placed on the market will be affected by the repeal of the PARNUTS Directive as such food has not been included in the FSG Regulation's scope and will have to comply with general EU food law from 20 July 2016. This has a major impact on compositional requirements, product names and claims made on such food. Inter alia, the possibility to make so-called “suitability statements” on food intended for sportspeople, which currently does give manufacturers some margin to make statements that some consider as something similar to claims, is likely to be controversial without the PARNUTS Directive.