ERNA Offers Free EU Health Claims Guidance

As of December 14, 2012, all foods marketed in the EU must now comply with an updated list of approved health claims-and any previously used claims not approved for the final list are now prohibited. To make the regulatory changes easier to follow, the European Responsible Nutrition Alliance (ERNA; Brussels) has published guidance for the new EU health claims.

ERNA’s guidance covers a variety of important topics, including which claims fall within the scope of the legislation, flexibility of health claim wording on products, and which health claims are still on hold. The guidance also addresses different interpretations of the law as seen by individual Member States.

“This guidance contains information that will help companies, in particular small and medium-sized companies, to apply those elements of the legislation that are particularly difficult,” says ERNA secretary general Patrick Coppens. “The information is compiled from existing EU and national guidance, legal opinions, and outcomes of discussions with and between Member states. We hope that it will help to create a uniform basis for enforcement and avoid the need for companies to adapt communication on a country-to-country basis.”