(Brussels, 16 May 2012) European food manufacturers today welcome the official adoption by the European Commission of the list of permitted Article 13.1 health claims. The list is expected to be published shortly in the Official Journal of the European Union and has already been included in the Union Register, available on the DG Sanco website.

FoodDrinkEurope welcomes the publication of this European-wide list as it provides Europe's food and drink industry with the legal clarity required. Consumers can now be confident that all claims on products have been approved for use and are based on solid scientific evidence.

However, improvements are still needed to the way in which the Health Claims Regulation is applied. FoodDrinkEurope calls on the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to improve dialogue with applicants and provide clarity on the information needed to fully substantiate a health claim. Food manufacturers believe that improvements need to be made to the way that the Claims Regulation is applied and look forward to continuing to work together with the Commission and other stakeholders constructively in this respect.

- ENDS -

For more information, please contact:  

Lisa McCooey, Deputy Director General/Director of Communications

Tel.: +32 2 508 10 24,

Email : l.mccooey@fooddrinkeurope.eu  

The mission of FoodDrinkEurope is to represent the food and drink industries of the EU – the largest manufacturing sector in the EU in terms of turnover and employment. FoodDrinkEurope works with European and international institutions, in order to contribute to the development of a legislative and economic framework addressing the competitiveness of industry, food quality and safety, consumer protection and respect for the environment. FoodDrinkEurope's membership consists of 26 national federations, including 3 observers, 26 European sector associations and 19 major food and drink companies. For more information on FoodDrinkEurope and its activities, visit: www.fooddrinkeurope.eu