Provexis tomato extract claim approved by EC
The Commission adapted EFSA’s suggested wording for Provexis’s Fruitflow tomato extract, so that, “helps maintain normal platelet aggregation” became: “Helps maintain normal platelet aggregation, which contributes to healthy blood flow.”
Provexis chief operating officer, Steve Morrison, told NutraIngredients.com his company was “delighted” the claim wording had been finalised in a form that offered commercial value to its partners.
“While it is not totally user friendly, we knew we were never going to get that but this is a claim that takes science into consumer land,” he said. “It is the first of its kind to come through the process and we are delighted as it has been a long time coming.”
“It is a very significant day for this company and removes the ambiguity that has prevented us from moving forward discussions with our partners.”
Let the information flow
Morrison said the company and its partners would now begin the serious business of employing the product on-pack, and work with the EC and member state authorities to determine how much flexibility, if any, is available to the real-world use of the claim across the 27-member state EU bloc.
“We need to explore this to discover the best way to bring the message to consumers,” he said. “We’ll be doing this diligently with out partners but it looks like ‘contributes to a healthy blood flow’ may be able to be highlighted.”
He highlighted the fact almost all of the data submitted in the article 13.5 claim was proprietary and therefore was protected for five years under the terms of the regulation.
In a statement, Provexis CEO, Stephen Moon said: “This is a significant landmark, not only for our own company and the development of Fruitflow, but for British food technology and the industry as a whole. Consumers who are worried about their cardiovascular health can now take Fruitflow, confident that its benefits are scientifically proven and that its claims have been rigorously tested and approved by the EC.”
The extract, which is used in a juice called Sirco in the UK, works by inhibiting clumping of blood platelets, and is aimed at healthy adults between the ages of 35 and 70, who are disposed to cardiovascular disease.
