Botanical giants debate EU herbal health claims hiatus

The world’s two biggest herbal extract suppliers respond to the recent European Commission decision to temporarily remove botanicals from the European Union health claims process.

Christian Artaria, marketing director and head of functional food development at Italian supplier Indena, and Jacques Dikansky, president and chief executive officer at French firm, Naturex, explain some of the pros and cons of the decision.

While Dikansky welcomes the decision as it gives the sector more time to prepare dossiers and may permit a greater variety of scientific substantiation, Artaria cautions that the decision creates ambiguity that may damage the market in the short term.