EU: Children's food claims ushered into law

By Keith Nuthall | 23 January 2008

The EU Council of Ministers has quickly reformed laws surrounding food health claims to ensure nutritional foods for children are not forced from Europe's marketplace.

EU ministers used a special fast-track procedure to effectively legalise claims regarding children's development and health that are not yet covered by an upcoming list of approved terms.

Due to the time required to assess and approve such all such terms - whether for child or adult foods - special transitional rights cover products already on the market.

However, when regulations on health claims were passed in 2006, claims on children's foods were added at the last minute and not covered by these temporary rules, making their continued use potentially illegal under EU law.

"Products carrying such claims are already present" said Council minutes issued following the ministers' decision: "In order to avoid disruption, it is therefore appropriate to submit claims referring to children's development and health to the same transitional measures as the other health claims."

Sectors: Baby food, Chilled foods, Commodities & ingredients, Dairy, Food safety, Health & wellness, NPD & innovation