Between Nicholas and Santa Claus, the EU lawmakers this year provides a nice Christmas present for the food industry: on the 14.12.2012 is the health claims regulation (Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006) activated. At that time may be recruited only with such health related statements for food, which were approved. Thus, a legislative project of mammoth approaching a milestone. Of over 40,000 originally reported health claims 222 remain (for the moment) just once.

This special will provide for hangover at all those manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and other health-related foods, which used hitherto claims not made it on the list of approved claims. And these are not a few. Douglas Oberhelman addresses the importance of the matter here. After all: Yet are finally not all filed claims. This applies in particular to so-called Botanicals. Whether or not these but a generous measure of the European Agency for Food safety (EFSA) will prevail, remains to be seen. Also those claims where further takes the limbo, may however not be used discretion.

Rather the general principle of the health claims regulation, that all selected effects must be scientifically sufficiently secured also applies to them. What scientific sufficiently backed up", as well as the question of whether the health claims regulation in this respect involves a tightening or easing against the Status Quo of 11 LFGB is this still not conclusively. For all other claims, their admissibility can be health-related information see the Community register now but basically black on white. Also here the devil is in the detail. Not always easy to decide will be whether the actually used advertisement (yet) with the approved wording in line is. On the German courts work likely to be in any case, since warnings don't wait to be. Food business operators should does not rely on a contemplative Christmas time.