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 | | EAS TURNS THE REGULATORY SPOTLIGHT ON FOOD SUPPLEMENTS | | | EAS | | 03/03/2008 | | | Companies from across Europe and the US gathered for a workshop in Brussels last month to get practical tips on mastering the European food supplement market.
The workshop, titled ‘Building a Regulatory Strategy for Marketing Food Supplements in Europe: The key steps to a successful product launch’, was held on February 20 in Brussels to provide companies with the key elements for developing strategic solutions towards launching products in Europe’s diverse marketplace.
Hosted by international food and nutrition policy consultancy EAS, the day-long event covered the step-by-step process for launching food supplements in the European market, from product entrance strategies to advice on regulations for nutritional and herbal ingredients, health claims and labelling, and an assessment of different Member State distribution policies, market practices and controls.
“With participants from such a wide range of countries, the workshop offered the opportunity to share knowledge and clarify the borderlines and challenges,” said EAS Regulatory Adviser Pieter Lagae. “For example, the lack of harmonisation on maximum levels of vitamins and minerals requires a thorough exploration of national regulations across Europe. We’ve also found that in general many companies are still unclear on the procedure for submitting claims based on new scientific evidence or proprietary data, especially now that the deadline for inclusion in the Article 13 claims list has passed.”
Participants were given an updated analysis of some of the most significant regulatory developments in the EU, such as the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) recently issued guidance document on the safety of botanicals; changes to article 18 health claims rules; the European Commission’s action to compile a single article 13 health claims list for EFSA evaluation, and the ongoing discussions surrounding maximum levels for vitamins and minerals.
Due to popular demand, EAS will hold a second workshop on the same topic on April 3, with the number of participants limited to 25 to maximise the value for attendees.
“With the right combination of knowledge, flexibility and strategic thinking, it’s quite possible to overcome the regulatory challenges to marketing products across the whole of the EU,” said Mr Lagae. “Often the differences in the regulatory requirements for most countries in Europe are not as substantial as are widely thought.” | |
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