06.01.07
In a statement on the application of the EU’s Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (NHCR), the European Botanical Forum (EBF), Brussels, Belgium, insists that botanical knowledge accumulated over the years through practice and experience should be accepted as a valid body of evidence when their nutrition and health claims come under scrutiny by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for marketing approval. The regulation, which aims to harmonize the use of nutrition and health claims at the European level through pre-marketing approval for all nutrition and health claims, applies to botanicals and foodstuffs containing botanicals, such as enriched foodstuffs, herbal teas and food supplements. But according to the EBF, it does not specify how much weight traditional evidence will hold in claim evaluations, and does not include criteria or clarification on how the scientific substantiation should be demonstrated when claims are submitted for approval. “According to the regulation, claims should be based on generally accepted scientific evidence. But there is no indication what this exactly means, how much evidence and what type of evidence will be needed for a claim to be acceptable,” said Manfred Ruthsatz, chairman of the EBF. “It states that the substantiation should take into account all of the available scientific data and weigh up the evidence. That, therefore, is implicit acceptance that other aspects can also be considered, and in the field of botanicals, a substantial part of supporting evidence relates to practice and practical experience that has accumulated over the years.” The EBF plans to take this up in constructive discussions with EFSA, the European Commission and Members States to build a solid foundation for botanical health products that benefit the consumer.