Functional foods – The future of nutrition and its impact on European food law

Next Tuesday, 13/02 at 5 pm, Michael is going to present his PhD thesis which he will submit at the University of Salzburg (Austria) shortly. As usual, the presentation will be followed by a discussion.

Here is a short introduction:

Functional foods – The future of nutrition and its impact on European food law

Are the EU food regulations coming into force this year part of the EU’s alleged “excessive regulation”? Do we really need special legislation for Becel, Actimel, Red Bull and other functional foods? Or should we maybe simply consider them as ordinary foodstuffs or even a kind of medicine?

The European Food and Drink Industry is the largest manufacturing sector in Europe with an annual turnover of over € 815 billion. However, the food market is saturated. So the industry is trying to find new market potential. With changes in lifestyle and a changed perception of nutrition functional foods claiming to affect body functions beneficially (protection from disease, prevention of diseases, providing general well being etc.) are becoming the "foodstuff of the future" with a current turnover of about 5 billion EURO.

Examining the new EU regulation Michael’s presentation will give an insight into a highly dynamic area of law (including food labelling) and argue that consumer protection and product safety indeed require separate regulation for functional foods however these laws must be balanced with the Lisbon Agenda on Economic growth.

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