Hopes raised for amendment to health claims regulation

The European Commission (EC) aims to amend the annex of nutrition claims permitted under the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation by 2010, raising hopes that glaring omissions will be addressed.

As it stands, for example, the annex contains no reference to 'high energy', 'source of omega-3' or frequently used claims such as 'low-GI' (glycaemic index) and 'cholesterol-free'. It also lays out strict criteria for making 'reduced' fat, salt or sugar claims, which trade associations have been lobbying to change for months.

Currently, only firms achieving 30% reductions in fat or sugar or 25% reductions in salt can make 'reduced' claims on pack, which manufacturers say provides little incentive to make incremental reductions.

To this end, the Provision Trade Federation has called for a new 'contains x% less' nutrition claim, allowing companies to highlight smaller reductions in salt, fat or sugar on pack. It is also urging the EC to permit the phrases 'extra light' and 'super light'.

Lobbyists have pushed for 'source of omega-3 fatty acids', 'high in omega-3 fatty acids', 'high monounsaturated fat', 'high polyunsaturated fat' and 'high unsaturated fat' claims to be added to the annex.

Amending the annex had partly taken so long because the EC had prioritised the task of establishing the controversial nutrient profiling scheme also enshrined in the Regulation, said an EC spokeswoman.

"Right now, the setting of nutrient profiles has absolute priority. Thus the Commission will take the matter further after having finished with nutrient profiles."

However, lack of consensus over profiling models had also thwarted progress in this area, making any agreement highly unlikely before the June parliamentary elections, according to regulatory consultancy European Advisory Services (EAS).

This meant the model would not be approved until the end of 2009 or early 2010, predicted EAS: "This is a positive delay as it will allow more time for regulators to carefully consider the overall impact of the system being developed on the food industry."

Dairy industry sources said they expected the latest draft of the model to exclude milk altogether and increase the thresholds for sodium and saturated fat in cheese.