EC Delays Nutrient Profiling Scheme

BRUSSELS—The European Commission (EC) has delayed its proposal for a nutrient profiling system, a project mandated by the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation. The profiling scheme would help determine which food products will be able to bear nutrition and/or health claims. The regulation required the scheme be adopted by Jan. 19, 2009, this year, but a lack of consensus on various issues has continued to thwart progress towards adopting a scheme.

In fact, the EC was to present the scheme at the March 27 Standing Committee on General Food Law meeting, but with the delay the scheme will likely not reach the light of day until after the June European Parliament elections. According to Miguel da Silva, an advisor with EAS (European Advisory Services), the final system must be approved by the Parliament under a regulatory procedure with scrutiny, which will only be possible when the new legislature starts is activities in September 2009.

“It now seems more likely that the adoption will only take place by the end of 2009 or even early in 2010,” da Silva said. “Since this is a highly complex issue, in our view this is a positive delay as it will allow more time for the regulators to carefully consider the overall impact of the system being developed on the food industry.” He further noted a wide number of problematic issues with the latest draft proposal had surfaced during interservice consultation within the EC, adding, "...it is very difficult to know the extent of the changes that will be made to the latest draft, but we understand these would be quite significant."