Abstract

The EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (NHCR) requires all health claims to be scientifically substantiatedbefore they are approved for use. The formidable task for reviewing the scientific data underlying claims falls to theEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The NHCR itself does not specify the scientific criteria to be used and EFSA hasadopted a standard that has only allowed a limited number of health effects to pass their scrutiny. This article will review thescientific principles used, highlight a number of issues that have been identified and give an insight of the likelyconsequences for research and development.