These functional health claims relate to the effects of:
1. ‘toothkind' drinks, which contribute to maintain tooth mineralisation compared to soft drinks;
2. the consumption of slowly digestible starch (SDS) in starch-containing foods, which raises blood glucose concentration less after a meal compared to products low in SDS
3. cocoa flavanols, which help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, which in turn contributes to normal blood flow.
Important note:
These claims may be exclusively used, during a five-year period, by their applicant, namely GlaxoSmithKline, Mondelēz International group and Barry Callebaut Belgium NV respectively.
The European institutions have indeed been able to establish the relationship with an effect on health on the basis of proprietary data of the applicants, who claimed protection thereof under Article 21 of Regulation on the nutrition and health claims made on food (Reg. No 1924/2006).
However, the limiting to one operator of the authorisation of these claims does not prevent other applicants from applying for an authorisation to use the same claims if their application is not based on the proprietary data of the initial applicants.
After the expiry of the aforementioned five-year period, those health claims may be used, in conformity with the conditions applying to them, by any food business operator.
The text of the Regulation containing the authorised wording of the claims and the conditions applying to them can be consulted via the following link: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:235:0003:0007:EN:PDF
