The EU regulation on nutrition and health claims: Current and future trends

When considering how to promote health by linking agriculture, food and nutrition, it makes sense to have a closer look at existing legislation in the area of nutrition and health claims made on food products. This is particularly important because what industry is allowed to say about the impact on health of the foods it sells is an essential element in a number of areas, such as consumer awareness, consumer education, product research and development, and research-funding opportunities. After all, why would anyone invest considerable resources to do research, develop and market a particular food product that would be more nutritious or would help mitigate certain disease-risk factors, if the law were to prohibit any commercial communication on those health benefits? When examining existing legislation on nutrition and health claims made on foods, it is useful to consider the regulatory framework in the European Union