This week, a panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued an opinion on hundreds of food health claims and REJECTED about  two thirds of them. The claims requiring further scientific evidence include probiotics in yogurts, omega 3 fortification, and others.

In one opinion, the panel said the data provided weren’t compelling enough to justify the claim that the bacteria Lactobacillus casei F19 improves bowel functioning.

This is a blow to food giants such as Danone who are promoting their Actimel and Activia branded yogurts through the so called friendly bacteria. This is a double blow to Danone, whose US subsidiary agreed to pay $35M in  fines in an out of court settlement regarding dubious health claims for it Activia yogurts just last week.

What you need to know:

Health claims are used by food manufacturers to increase the attractiveness of their products. In some cases there is simply not enough scientific evidence to back up those claims. In many cases the science has been paid for by the manufacturers themselves who fund research at independent facilities and universities.

The EU, which in general tends to be more protective of consumers than the US, is now weighing several changes in food packaging information, including health claims and quick glance nutrition information such as “traffic lights” used in the UK.

What to do at the supermarket:

Unfortunately in the US, even flimsy health claims are allowed, mostly because companies threathen to sue the FDA for blocking their 1st amendment rights to free speech.

That’s why we suggest ignoring all health claims, and directly inspecting the nutrition panel and the ingredient list.

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