We all know that consumers are increasingly seeking products with health credentials. One of the most effective ways to show consumers that your products promote oral health is to signpost them with the Toothfriendly label. Here are few tips how you can make the most of it:
The EU Regulation on Nutrition and Health Claims made on foods was adopted in December 2006. For the first time, the EU Member States have harmonised rules for the use of food-related health claims.
According to the Health Claim Regulation, all health claims that are not specifically permitted or are still under evaluation, must disappear from the food labels by December 2012. However, products bearing trademarks (such as "Toothfriendly") or brand names exisiting before 1 January 2005 may continue being marketed until 19 January 2022 after which the provisions of the new Regulation apply.
Starting from 20 January 2022, all products that carry the Toothfriendly label sold in the EU should be accompanied with an authorized health claim. An example of such a claim is "Consumption of foods containing sorbitol instead of sugar contributes to the maintenance of tooth mineralization." The authorized claim should be made next to the Toothfriendly label, ideally in the same field of vision. The Toothfriendly label and authorized health claim may also be placed on different sides of the package if they are linked together with an asterisk (*). However, the consumer shall be able to easily and readily link them together.
