The affirmations stem from European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) positive opinions and mean the claims will soon enter the EU law books, once passed by the European Parliament.
The four claims are:
- 'ALA contributes to the brain development of children'
- 'DHA has a structural and functional role in the retina and DHA intake contributes to the visual development of infants up to 12 months of age'
- 'DHA has a structural and functional role in the retina and maternal DHA intake contributes to the normal development of the eye of the foetus and breastfed infants'
- 'DHA has a structural and functional role in the brain and maternal DHA intake contributes to the normal brain development of the foetus and breastfed infants'
Nigel Baldwin, chief European claims consultant at Cantox Health Sciences International said the infant claims may provoke some thought about their interpretation and use under the EU infant formula and follow-on formula Directive.
“It could lead to different conditions of use and marketing in infant formula,” he said.
Baldwin noted that at the November committee meeting, EC officials said the claim could in theory be used on foods for special medical purposes, as long as they were not deemed to be infant formula products.
Look to NutraIngredients for more on this soon.
Rejected?
Baldwin also noted that the claims to be tabled next month were not dissimilar to those that were in fact initially rejected by EFSA’s health claims panel, but in regard to product-specific dossiers. These included:
- ‘DHA and ARA contribute to the optimal brain development of infants and young children’
- ‘Lipil contributes to optimal brain development of infants and young children’
- ‘Enfamil contributes to optimal brain development of infants’