Pan-European Research Finds Growing Consumer Interest in Health Claims

20 May 2014 --- Research shows that nearly all consumers look at the price and the best before-date before buying a product. Significantly less inform themselves of the nutritional and health benefits of foods. But the interest in health and nutrition claims increases. The participants of the 6th International Fresenius Conference on "Health and Nutrition Claims" from 13 to 14 May 2014 in Frankfurt, Germany, had the opportunity to learn more about this topic and others in the area.

In a pan-European consumer study by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC), conducted in 2011, only 25 percent of the participants claimed to look "always" or "often" for health or nutrition claims on product packages. For comparison: The criteria "price" and "best-before date" reached 90 percent each. One year later this had not changed much, but a considerable increase in the interest in health claims became apparent: Every third respondent (33 percent) stated in a study conducted by EUFIC in 2012 to "always" or "often" look for health benefits on food products. Even more people (45 percent) were interested in nutritional benefits. EUFIC has further published a literature review on this topic in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2012). Dr Sophie Hieke concluded the results in Frankfurt as follows: Health claims can be an effective means in food choice if certain requirements are met: the claim made on a product has to be perceived as relevant to oneself and credible, the consumer should be familiar with its mentioned ingredients and/or product benefits and there should be a previous (positive) experience with the product as well as a positive attitude towards functional food in general, the expert told the audience.

However, more research was needed in this area as findings in literature were often fragmented and difficult to generalize.

Dr Hieke also presented two EU-funded research projects: CLYMBOL, which receives funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration, focuses on the role of health claims and symbols in consumer behavior. Until 2016, researchers in this project will investigate how claims and symbols, in their context, are understood by consumers and what effects there may be on purchase and consumption. Further information can be found on www.clymbol.eu. Dr Hieke also spoke about "NU-AGE" - an EU-funded project designed to develop new dietary strategies for the specific needs of elderly people. Coordinated by the University of Bologna, the project includes an analysis of attitudes and perceptions of elderly consumers towards health and nutritional benefits as well as their understanding of such claims. Based on these findings, suitable communication strategies would be developed to help guide and inform elderly people, Hieke stated.

When it comes to the use of Health and Nutrition Claims, botanicals are still a difficult field. Up until now no harmonization has been reached within the EU. These circumstances are particularly tough for all member states in which food supplements containing botanicals are already widely available on the market. To find a feasible solution for the problem, Belgium, France and Italy have developed a mutual approach.

The common initiative is named the "BELFRIT project" and aims to establish a consistent positive list for botanicals which are already allowed for the use in food supplements. Stefanie Dalfrá (Ministry of Health, Italy) presented the current project status at the conference. After two years of work, the so called BELFRIT list had been finished in 2013 and was already adopted in Italy (since March 2014), Dalfrá reported.

The list complements the existing Italian legislation in the area. It contains plants which are considered safe due to scientific evidence and their traditional use and which can be used because of their "physiological effect". Dalfrá pointed out that the list could serve as the starting point for a European harmonization. In respect of claims in the area of botanicals, the expert argued in favor of the traditional use of a plant which, according to Dalfrá, should be accepted as a proof for efficacy. She urged the argument that the Novel Food-Regulation already accepts traditional uses as a proof of safety.

Microbiomes are the collection of microorganisms which occupy a particular ecological niche. Within the human body they are first and foremost found on the skin, in the mouth and in the gut. Because of its direct impact on the human physiology and nutrition, the gut microbiota is of particular relevance. Studies had already shown a relationship between the quantity of certain microbiomes in the gut and diseases like obesity or diabetes, David Ramón Vidal (BIOPOLIS, Spain) reported in Frankfurt. It was possible to clearly define the metabolic pathways, he continued. All collected data would indicate that a dietary intervention could be a strategy to manage obesity and associated metabolic disorders, the expert stated. In terms of diabetes some researchers had demonstrated positive effects when certain probiotics had been ingested.

Besides diseases that affect the gut directly, probiotics could also be used for the treatment of other disorders. Existing study data would suggest a connection between the gut microbiota and the central nervous system, Ramón Vidal explained. There were first hints that the ingestion of probiotics could reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Presumably, probiotics would continue to be sold as food ingredients or dietary supplements with soft Health Claims, Ramón Vidal put on record. However, their use for medical purposes would increase due to the mentioned scientific findings. In this context, the microbiome analysis would also gain in importance, the expert predicted. He pointed out that the EFSA panel for Nutrition, Dietetic Products and Allergies (NDA) had not authorized any Health Claims for probiotics so far. Ramón Vidal recommended to base claims for probiotics stating a medical benefit on experimental animal trials, clinical human trials as well as on studies which focus on the molecular basis of product functionality.