Health claims milestone

Scientists on EFSA’s NDA Panel say they have reached a major milestone in their work on health claims by publishing evaluations of the last group of ‘general function’ claims, excluding those related to botanical substances.

The publication of the final series of 35 evaluations is the culmination of more than three years’ work by EFSA’s experts.

Since 2008, the Panel has assessed 2,758 food-related general function health claims to determine whether they were supported by sound scientific evidence.

“This very challenging task was completed thanks to the dedication and commitment of the experts on the NDA Panel in collaboration with EFSA staff, who have had to cope with an unprecedented and unforeseen workload, coupled with very tight deadlines,” says Professor Albert Flynn, chair of the NDA Panel. “Despite these challenges our experts have assessed the claims consistently and fairly.”