European rules threaten informed choice for healthy food

New European legislation requires that the substantiation for all claims about nutrition and health is assessed. Therefore the information on food product or food supplement packaging, as well as product advertising – for example, “calcium is good for bones” on a carton of milk or “heart-healthy” on a jar of omega-3 fish fatty acid – must be approved.

The law requires claims about food to be supported in the same way as for medicines. This is not appropriate for foods and supplements that are typically designed to support good health.

The result of the new European rules is that almost all of the information about health benefits on food & supplements will eventually be banned. Packaging will then no longer contain information about what the product means for health. It will therefore be difficult to make an informed choice about a healthy product.

The purpose of the petition

On 21 April, the bill will be voted on in the European Parliament. This petition asks the Members of European Parliament to consider the consequences of this law once again.

You can view and sign the petition here.