Unsubstantiated, exaggerated and untruthful claims on food packaging will be rejected in the EU market, depending on the consideration of member states, said Patrick Deboyser, the minister-counsellor of health and food safety at the European Commission's Bangkok delegation.

 The EU is in the process of approving new regulations covering nutrition and health claims on labels to protect its consumers. The EU regulations will be enacted for both domestic and international food producers.

 Deboyser advised food exporters to focus more on their packaging to meet the EU's new regulations.

The EU's regulations, which it will later announce on its website, are mostly in accordance with the Food and Agricultural Organisation and World Health Organisation Codex Alimentarius rules.

 Deboyser said the regulations were designed to eliminate unscrupulous exporters who mislead the public about their product's benefits. Although products may not be banned, they can be rejected and producers must substantiate their nutrition claims under the new regulations before accessing the EU market.

To comply with the regulations, exporters may have to correct or eliminate exaggerated nutritional claims before selling in the market. They might be punished by government agencies that closely monitor imported products, according to Deboyser.

Under the new rules, food producers have to clearly state the benefits of their products. Producers cannot make claims that their products will benefit a customer's health if the evidence is not sufficient.

The EU will look into both under-nutrition and over-nutrition food claims on labels that may mislead consumers.

 "The new rules will benefit consumers and may be a guideline for other countries to issue to protect their consumers' health in the future," said Deboyser.

He said that the new rules would not affect Thai food export growth but would strengthen Thailand's export competitiveness. If followed properly, the rules may actually create export opportunities for Thai foods.

Deboyser also said that any questions about nutrition claims can be sent to the EU Commissioner.

On November 6-7, the EU will hold a seminar in Bangkok entitled "Recent and Forthcoming Changes to the Regulation of Nutrition Labelling and Claims in the European Union and in Asia".

The seminar is aimed at creating a better understanding among food producers and exporters to the EU market. It will describe how food producers can meet the new regulations.

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation