2007
Provided that they are scientifically substantiated, nutrition and health claims linked
to food products can help consumers make well-informed food choices. The new
European legislation on nutrition and health claims made on foods was published
on 30 December 2006 (with a corrigendum published on 18 January 2007). This law sets out conditions for their use, establishes a system for their scientific evaluation and will create European lists of authorised claims. An important aspect of this legislation is that it states (Article 5.2) “the use of nutrition and health claims shall only be permitted if the average consumer can be expected to understand the beneficial effects as expressed in the claim”.
In anticipation of this legislation coming into force, the ILSI Europe Consumer Science Task Force organised a workshop on “Consumer Understanding of Health Claims” in Florence on 17–19 May 2006.
This report summarises the results of the workshop and makes recommendations on the evidence and research that is needed to support the practical application of the legislation. It also gives guidance to producers about consumer research that should be used to support submissions.
To download the full document, click here.
To order free copies, please contact publications@ilsieurope.be.