Vitamins and minerals found in foods and dietary supplements have important benefits, but unbeknownst to many consumers, they can be harmful if consumed in large amounts.
As a result, the EU has set maximum levels of vitamins and minerals that can be added to nutritional supplements and fortified foods, from breakfast cereals to margarine. However, sports drinks cater to a specific demographic of physically active consumers who have different needs than the average consumer.
The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) explains everything sports drink companies need to know about the latest developments.
Current status and challenges of regulations
The EU legal framework for MPLs regarding vitamins and minerals is regulated by Article 5 of Directive 2002/46/EC (Dietary Supplements Directive), which states that the It is specified that maximum amounts of vitamins and minerals must be set.
“The article also explains the factors that should be taken into account, in particular that safe upper levels of vitamins and minerals need to be established by scientific risk assessment based on generally accepted scientific data. If necessary, we take into account the different degrees of sensitivity of different consumer groups,” explains Luca Bucchini, President of ESSNA.
“After many years of debate, no agreement on the MPL for vitamins and minerals could be found, and the lack of consensus led many Member States to set their own MPLs, leading to differing levels across the EU. A Challenge Arose” for companies selling in different markets.
“However, this discussion has undergone a long hiatus, and in 2021 the European Commission will start discussions again with Member States, with the aim of introducing a harmonized EU-wide MPL for vitamins and vitamins. Required EFSA to review the UL of macronutrients and minerals in foods and dietary supplements.”
Bucchini says this is a welcome development to address the current fragmentation of the single market, but there are some challenges that the sports and active nutrition sector should be aware of.
He said: “The main challenge for the industry is to ensure that product specialties and the dietary needs of active consumers are taken into account in the MPL review.”
“This issue was already confirmed in EFSA’s scientific opinion on vitamin B6, a nutrient found in many sports drinks, published last year following a request from the European Commission to update its scientific advice on UL. EFSA has proposed lowering the current UL of 25 mg/day for adults to 12 mg/day. As highlighted by the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) in its response to EFSA’s respective consultation: According to the association’s calculations, this could mean that the MPL for dietary supplements could be 5mg per day, and for other sports and active nutrition products it could be 2 -3 mg. /Day.”
“ESSNA highlights that many sports nutrition companies are producing products containing vitamin B6 at doses of 20 mg per day to meet the dietary needs of athletes. Manufacturers would have to reformulate or discard their products, which not only incurs significant costs but also requires that such UL are insufficient to meet the needs of physically active consumers.”
Latest development status…
Sports drink companies interested in vitamin and mineral blends should note that EFSA will also publish opinions on vitamin D, acid/folic acid and manganese throughout 2023, with recent attention focused on the public consultation on the draft opinion on vitamin A. you should know. , β-carotene, iron.
“On vitamin D, EFSA supports its previous opinion and confirms that this nutrient can be taken at a UL of 100 mg, equivalent to (VDE)/day,” Bucchini said. “For manganese, we have established a safe intake for adults of 8 mg/day based on observed intake data showing high intakes of this nutrient in European populations.For folic acid/folate, , EFSA confirmed the retention of the previously established UL of 1,000 mg folic acid/day for adults.
“Regarding the recent draft opinion on vitamin A/beta-carotene and iron, EFSA proposed to maintain the UL for preformed vitamin A of 3,000 mg RE/day for adults, but for iron it proposed to maintain the UL for preformed vitamin A on the basis of organ toxicity. could not be established. Due to lack of dose-response information, a safe intake of 17 mg/day is recommended. Also, due to insufficient data, EFSA recommends that A UL or safe intake for β-carotene supplementation could not be established.
“The European Commission had originally planned to submit a proposal for an EU-wide MPL in the first quarter of 2024, but this delay not only raises questions about whether product specificity can be safely maintained. “Remaining uncertainties among sports and active nutrition-related companies remain” fully considered in the proposal. At the same time, the next European elections will be held on the 6th.th– 9thWe will offer stakeholders the opportunity to tackle this challenge across the 27 EU Member States in June 2024. Companies should build relationships with policy makers to ensure that policy makers make decisions on sports nutrition to ensure changes to MPL are based on sound science, consider industry interests, and do not compromise consumer safety. We need to help them understand more deeply. ”
ESSNA works directly with EFSA and policymakers to represent the voice of the industry and provide timely updates to its members. Organizations interested in learning more should contact info@essna.com.
