Codex Evaluation of Food Additives and Nutrient Reference Values Among Global Regulatory Initiatives to Watch

The Codex Committee on Food Additives will meet in March to discuss whether to adopt key draft provisions for food additives used in food supplements worldwide, says the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA).

“IADSA has also identified technical changes used in relation to the Codex review of Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs) for vitamins and minerals, and some other initiatives such as the proposal to develop a standard for marine oils,” the association states.

“There was an overwhelming support from Codex member countries for IADSA’s request that FAO/WHO provide the most recent NRVs from internationally authoritative scientific bodies, to ensure that the values reflect the latest research on nutritional requirements. Consequently, the World Health Organization has been commissioned by Codex to undertake this compilation,” says IADSA’s chairman Peter Zambetti.

IADSA says that the World Health Organization compilation will be focused on 28 nutrients, including all of the nutrients for which the Codex Guidelines on Nutrition Labeling have already established NRVs, as well as other nutrients that the committee agrees NRVs must still be established for.

“This revision of all NRVs is important because the revisions agreed by Codex will be implemented by governments worldwide and will have an impact on the labeling of most nutrition claims,” says Zambetti.

The association says it will be keeping its eye on these Codex initiatives as well as regulatory changes not only in the European Union but also in Southeast Asian nations.

“While food supplement harmonization is already underway in the European Union, decisions are expected this year on key aspects of the Association of South East Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) similar harmonization process towards a regional legislation,” states IADSA.

“Many countries are in the process of developing new regulatory frameworks, and regulators are increasingly monitoring the successes and challenges of similar initiatives across the globe,” says Zambetti. “Therefore there is a greater need for high-quality scientific and technical regulatory information to be shared among decision makers, and IADSA facilitates this flow of information.

The association says its plans this year focus on China, Eastern Europe, and Russia, as well as Latin America “where, although no harmonization is taking place, [IADSA] is working with regulatory bodies and the sector to help progress the solid regulatory steps that have been taken so far across the region.”

IADSA is a leading international association focusing on the globalization of food supplement markets and increasing regulatory challenges. It brings together food supplement associations from six continents, representing more than 20,000 companies.