ESSNA urges tailored labeling approach for sports nutrition to avoid “enormous setback”

26 Oct 2021 --- The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) is warning about the dangers of a “one size fits all” approach for front-of-pack labeling (FoPL) obligations. This is spurred by the European Parliament’s recent vote on the report to eventually introduce mandatory nutrient profiles.

“Due to their composition, some sports nutrition products may be penalized by a FoPL scheme that does not take into account their specific use,” Dr. Adam Carey, ESSNA’s chair, tells NutritionInsight. 

Purposefully formulated with higher levels of certain nutrients such as sodium or carbohydrates and sugar, sports and active nutrition products are designed to cater to the specific dietary needs of people who engage in exercise and wish to follow an active and healthy lifestyle, he explains.ESSNA says it is important that policymakers are aware that food intended for sportspeople cannot be treated as generalist food.

A worst case scenario?
Carey notes that the worst-case scenario would be a blanked application of FoPL to all food products without appropriate exemptions for sports nutrition products. In that case, owing to its high concentration in certain nutrients, sports food may be labeled as unhealthy, despite its proven benefits for sportspeople, which are well documented in scientific literature. 

In contrast, the best-case scenario would be for any new scheme to allow for exemptions for sports nutrition products. It would also follow the Parliament’s call for special attention to be paid on the additional burden for food operators and unions, as well as on consumer understanding in the setting of FoPL. 

“It is crucial that consumers continue to have access to important information, such as the health benefits of protein supplement. These include muscle growth and maintenance of normal bones,” Carey further explains. 

European Commission turns attention to FoPL
The European Commission already acknowledged the specificity of sports foods and its special composition in a report from 2016 on “Food intended for sportspeople.” However, the details of what the FoPL scheme will be are yet to be defined. 

Last week, the European Parliament voted on its own, non-legally binding, initiative report on the European Commission’s “Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system.” 

In accordance with the Commission’s proposal, the Parliament voted in favor of setting mandatory nutrient profiles and FoPL to restrict the promotion of foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS).

Following the Parliament’s vote, the EU will begin the process of introducing the nutrient profiles and FoPL regulations. 

According to the action plan for the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy, the European Commission will launch two public consultations on FoPL before submitting a proposal for a harmonized mandatory scheme by the end of 2022.

This means that the sports and active nutrition industry will have the opportunity to continue working closely with policymakers and to actively participate in the process, Carey underscores. 

 “This includes providing the industry’s expertise to make sure the new legislation will not disproportionately affect the sports and active nutrition sector and that consumers’ health remains top priority,” he says. ESSNA fully supports the Farm to Fork strategy and understands that consumer information on food products is an important objective. 

Considering Nutri-Score
Carey urges that EU policymakers follow the recommendation by the French public health authority, Santé Publique France.

Santé Publique stated that Nutri-Score’s underlying nutrient profiling system was developed with the needs of the general population in mind, whereas sports nutrition must meet specific needs.

“Whether or not the Nutri-Score scheme will be used for the FoPL, Santé Publique’s recommendation is a positive milestone that could pave the way for sports nutrition to obtain exemptions from an EU-wide mandatory program on labeling.” 

Shifting requirements in sports nutrition
These potential guidelines could create significant ripples across industry, considering the continued widening of the space that is considered to be sports nutrition. 

According to Innova Market Insights, there has been 14% average annual growth in sports nutrition launches between 2016 and 2020. 

“Sports nutrition has increasingly evolved in the last decades, going from a niche sector to a more mainstream industry,” notes Carey.

“The manufacturing of these products is constantly developing to meet the nutritional needs of not only professional sportspeople and athletes but also of active consumers in general, and their increased demand for products that support performance and well-being.” 

He emphasizes that product labels, as well as industry’s consumer education initiatives, such as ESSNA’s consumer campaign, very clearly explain the conditions under which sports nutrition products should be used. 

In addition, the existing regulatory framework of sports nutrition provides sufficient information for consumers to make informed choices, Carey states. 

“The nutrient profiles and FoPL regulations could potentially enormously set back the work that the industry does to improve consumers’ understanding of and access to education on specialist food products,” he concludes. 

By Katherine Durrell