Background: in the Guidance on the implementation of Regulation N° 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims: conclusions of the standing Committee on the food chain and animal health published in 2007, the probiotic term is considered as a health claim because it refers to the implied description or indication of a functionality on health.
You may see a claim followed by an asterisk on a herbal food supplement marketed in the Netherlands. These food supplements are composed of one or more plant(s) or plant extract(s) claiming effects on health. In accordance with European regulations on nutritional and health claims, only scientifically substantiated claims are permitted.
France and Italy are often seen as “cousin” countries because of their geographical and cultural proximity. Is this peculiar closeness observable within the food supplement field, too? In this article, we will compare the approach of the two countries to this class of goods.