Functional Food Launches Slowing in Europe

DUIVEN, The NetherlandsFunctional food product launches are slowing down in Europe, according to Innova Market Insights. Manufacturers are stalling to release new healthy products as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) continues its assessment of health claims. Most recently, EFSA ruled that probiotic claims regarding immune health and digestive health are scientifically unproven.

Apart from generic claims of vitamins and minerals, the European Food Safety Authoritys (EFSA) assessment of health claims so far has resulted in mainly negative opinions," Lu Ann Williams, Head of Research at Innova Market Insights commented. Manufacturers seem hesitant to launch new products with a strong health benefit claim if there is a chance that they will have to make a change to their labeling in the near future. With EFSA now set a new deadline of the end of June 2011 for generic Article 13 claims and opinions on botanicals set to follow at the later stage, this uncertainty is set to last for some time."

Functional foods innovation in Europe as a whole is also on decline in terms of new product launches, as manufacturers wait for on health claims. Innova Market Insights tracked 1,960 new products with an active health" positioning (Jan-Jun 2010), compared to 2,189 new products with this positioning in the corresponding period in 2009.

This decline in active health" [food plus e.g. fortified"] products came despite a growth in passive health" [food minus e.g. low and light"] claims on new products, with 10,350 products with a passive health claim tracked (Jan-Jun 2010), compared with 8,747 new products over the same period in 2009.