Dietary Supplements Market

The dietary supplements market and functional foods sector is experiencing large growth worldwide. Further to this, big pharmaceutical companies are putting investment into the acquisition of supplement firms or are otherwise making their own dietary supplements. Prominent pharmaceutical companies such as Glaxo Smith Kline, Pfizer and Merck have a large range of dietary supplements.

Health Claim Regulations are set to come into effect in the European Market. What will be the consequence of these regulations?

A list of 222 health claims has been passed by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) of the European Parliament and will enter into the Community list within the next weeks. Manufacturers now have the power to use these health claims to promote their products, as long as they meet the prerequisites set out in the Community list. The majority of accepted health claims refer to Vitamins and Minerals and their respective health benefits.

A question arises in regards to what will happen to the 1000s of health claims that have been rejected by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)? The rejected health claims will have to be removed subsequent to a transition time of 6 months. Those products that contain ingredients that are widely recognized by consumers could remain on the market even without health claims i.e. probiotic yogurts. Novel products, however, that contain less known ingredients could disappear from the European Market since they will be unable to advertise their health benefits.

This could open up the dietary supplements market to companies who are prepared to invest into clinical trials in order to demonstrate the health benefits of their products. The EFSA has made requirements clearer by producing guidelines on clinical data for various indications such as healthy blood glucose levels, weight management and immune health. The likelihood of obtaining a positive opinion from the EFSA has been increased through new clinical trials designed for the products and the proposed health claims.

For more information on health claims or to discuss options on the European dietary supplements market please contact us directly.