Health claims within the Swedish Code. Generic claims and product-specific physiological claims in relation to current European and international developments

Abstract

"Functional food" continues to be a highly interesting and much debated issue, with regard to scientific support, business potential, and importance for health and well-being. Problems with delimiting the concept can be overcome by regarding functional foods as foods with health claims. Various types of claim then have to be defined, as well as requirements for their scientific documentation. Such definitions are currently emerging internationally within Codex Alimentarius and within the European Commission. Guidelines on scientific substantiation have been issued within the Council of Europe, and the development of criteria for the scientific support of claims is focused on within the EC Fifth Framework concerted action project ‘‘Process for the Assessment of Scientific Support for Claims’’ (PASSCLAIM). The Swedish Code on health claims, effective since 1990 regarding generic claims in two steps and extended in 2001 to ‘‘product-specific phy siological claims’’, is in line with these developments. Keywords: Functional foods, health benefits, substantiation of claims.