Health claims regulation is top challenge for nutrition companies, survey shows

The organisers of Vitafoods Europe surveyed 190 visitors and exhibitors to the event, which takes place between 9-11 May 2017, Palexpo, Geneva.*When asked to consider the three biggest challenges facing their company, 43% named stricter regulation, while 35% were concerned about higher prices for raw materials and 27% cited the state of the global economy.
Six in ten (60%) said health claims was the main area of EU regulation affecting their companies, ahead of trade regulations (14%) and labelling regulations (13%).Almost nine in ten (87%) considered it important that a nutrition ingredient or product is associated with an EFSA-approved health claim.

A quarter (24%) of respondents considered the current EU regulatory environment to be unhelpful to their companies, although significantly more (37%) considered it helpful.
The findings come as the organisers of Vitafoods Europe announce a new resource to help companies navigate the regulatory maze. Visitors with any questions about regulation or certification will be able to have a one-to-one consultation with experts in the new Advice Centre.

Meanwhile, the UK’s decision to leave the EU did not rank highly as a concern for respondents. When asked what impact they thought Brexit would have on the European nutrition industry, 36% said it would have no impact, 32% said they didn’t know, 22% said it would be either very negative or fairly negative; and 10% said it would be either very positive or fairly positive.

Chris Lee, Managing Director, Global Health and Nutrition Network, Europe, Informa Exhibitions said: “Effective regulation is essential for consumer confidence and the industry understands its importance. However, it can create major headaches, especially for smaller companies. The process for establishing a health claim in particular can be frustrating, and it says a lot that companies view the prospect of tougher regulation as a greater challenge than the state of the world economy. Fortunately, Vitafoods Europe provides a range of services to support and advise companies as they navigate their way around the regulatory maze.”

In addition to the new Advice Centre, Vitafoods Centre Stage will host a keynote panel discussion about the impact of EU regulation on innovation in the ingredient sector. Speakers will include Maryse Hervé, Secretary-General of the Federation of European Specialty Food Ingredients Industries and Beate Kettlitz, Director of Food Policy, Science and R&D at FoodDrinkEurope.
Furthermore, the Vitafoods Education Programme will include a Business Workshop on Ingredient Registration and Regulation.Experts including Patrick Coppens, Regional Director, Europe & MEA, EAS Strategies, Belgium, will deal with questions such as how to bring new ingredients to the EU market.

About Vitafoods Europe
Vitafoods Europe is the global nutraceutical event, featuring exhibitors from all over the world across four key market areas: ingredients & raw materials; branded finished products; contract manufacturing & private label; and services & equipment. The event offers a range of visitor attractions, including an industry-leading education programme.

Vitafoods Europe is part of Informa Exhibitions’ Global Health & Nutrition Network (GHNN), which brings together a portfolio of events, digital media and publishing for marketers, manufacturers and formulators of nutrition and dietary supplements, healthy foods/beverages and personal care products. GHNN’s events include Vitafoods Europe, Vitafoods Asia, SupplySide West and Ingredient Marketplace.
Natural Products INSIDER is the global media brand covering healthy ingredients and finished applications. Vitafoods Insights offers online content and a series of topic-specific digital magazines that bring highlights of the Vitafoods events to a global audience. SupplySide West & Vitafoods Global Storefronts offers a new online environment where ingredient buyers and product developers can find and connect with the suppliers and solutions they need, all year long. For more information, visit www.informaglobalhealth.com.

Informa’s Global Exhibitions Division organisestransaction-oriented exhibitions andtrade shows, which provide buyers andsellers across different industries andcommunities with a powerful platformto meet face-to-face, build relationshipsand conduct business. Informa has aportfolio of more than 150 exhibitions, servinga number of core verticals, includingHealth & Nutrition, Beauty, Property &Construction and Pop Culture.