This report gives the outcomes of a voluntary coordinated survey in 25 Member States plus Norway and Switzerland in which the MSs' food control authorities were asked to search the Internet for websites, which offer in their respective official language(s) four novel food products for sale to the consumers in their country. The four products, all of which are not authorised in the EU, were: 

  • Agmatine (4-aminobutyl) guanidine sulfate
  • Acacia rigidula
  • Epimedium grandiflorum and
  • Hoodia gordoni

The authorities were also requested to check websites, which offer food supplements with misleading statements contrary to the rules on fair information practices, and more specifically, to search for offers of food supplements with information that attributes to them the property of preventing, treating or curing bone and joint diseases or refer to such properties with diseaserelated expressions, pictures or symbols. 

The authorities checked nearly 1100 websites and found 428 offers of unauthorised novel foods and 351 food supplements with medicinal claims making a total of 779 offers for sale of products, which were clearly non-compliant with EU legislation. The report also indicates what follow-up action was taken by the food authorities in terms of closing the respective offers, notifying RASFF etc. 

Read the report at: on-line supplements

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Comments

  • Roger,

    I am afraid I have no information about this coordinated survey apart from the receiving the news abou the report. Someone in the FSA should be able to answer this question.

    Mark

  • Hi Mark

    It is a shame that the UK was one of the three Member States that did not respond.  Do you know if the Competent Authorities decided that because they could not be bothered, or thought that it would be a nil return (other countries reported a nil return) or made a postive decision not to partcipate in an EU wide exercise?

    Thanks

    Roger

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