Legislation
Currently sports foods and drinks are a recognised category of Foods for Particular Nutritional Uses (PARNUTS) although there is no specific EU legislation for this category. (Link to Directive: PARNUTS Framework Directive.) They are controlled under general Food Labelling Law and any claims have to be reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and approved under the 'Nutrition and Health Claims Made on Foods' process.
However, we believe that there is a need for specific and detailed legislation in the area of sports nutrition to provide scientifically based and appropriate products for sports people, giving confidence in sports nutrition products to consumers.
We believe that a Directive to harmonise the sector should allow one product formulation in all markets, reflect the diverse range of products available, allow for innovation and encompass claims. Additionally it should guarantee that products are free from undesirable substances as determined by WADA.
We believe that there should be detailed compositional requirements for four groups of products, namely
- Carbohydrate rich energy food products
- Carbohydrate – electrolyte solutions
- Protein concentrates
- Protein enriched foods.
In a White Paper on Food Safety, the European Commission announced its intention to introduce under the framework Directive 89/398/EEC a specific Directive on foods intended to meet the needs resulting from intense muscular effort.
The Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) has produced a report on the composition and specification of food intended to meet the expenditure of intense muscular effort, especially for sports people (Adopted by the SCF on 22 June 2000, corrected on 28 February 2001) Further information from the SCF report can be accessed here : Foods for Sports People.
The SCF report evaluated data on sports nutrition to the end of the 1990s, reviewing the nutritional scientific evidence behind specific food products, providing for the specific needs of elite sports people. The report supported four categories of products and included recommendations on the appropriate use of caffeine and creatine. The opinion on safety aspects of creatine supplementation and was adopted by the Scientific Committee on Food on 7 September 2000. No other nutritional supplements beyond normal dietary needs or other ergogenic aids were identified by the report, although it must be recognised that further scientific evidence will have been generated in the interim.
The opinion on safety aspects of creatine can be accessed here: Opinion on safety aspects of creatine.