BERLIN—Marketing supplements in the EU has its share of controversy. Health claims, harmonization, and setting maximum levels for vitamins and mineral are all hot topics in the EU market. To discuss these and other issues, the European association BLL gathered more than 200 experts from across the world at a conference in Berlin last week.
The event, sponsored by the European trade associations European Federation of Associations of Health Product Manufacturers (EHPM), European Responsible Nutrition Alliance (ERNA) , and European Botanical Forum (EBF), and the global food supplement association International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA), included attendees from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Commission and the European Parliament, as well as various national regulatory authorities, academics and industry representatives.
Other issues on the table included the use of other substances and specifically botanicals, which have been put on hold from the claims evaluation process.
“The topics we are discussing are controversial for the industry, but not only for industry," said EHPM chairman Peter van Doorn. “These issues are also controversial for regulators. Harmonization to open up the European market is necessary, but how much harmonization is needed? The challenge is to get things on a level playing field. There is progress, but there are a number of difficulties which should not be the insurmountable problems that they currently seem to be."
Basil Mathioudakis, Head of the European Commission’s food law unit DG SANCO, who attended the event, highlighted the successes of the harmonization process to date and addressed issues that have not yet been completely harmonized. “Harmonization is not complete or not as complete as some would have liked," he said, "Many would be quick to blame the Commission for not acting to further harmonize. Some of the issues we face in respect to further harmonization continue to be controversial and have become political, and this has to be taken into account." He added that the Commonission has been successful in its objective to harmonize vitamins and minerals in supplements. However, he said setting maximum levels is still an issue. " The intention is there to set those maximum levels and as the other priorities are being finalized, we may see that the subject comes back."
