Royal jelly is hailed as a super supplement that can boost the immune system, fight ageing and lower cholesterol.
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The EFSA found there was no evidence to suggest that royal jelly could boost the immune system or vitality Photo: ALAMY |
6:25AM GMT 06 Dec 2011
11 CommentsBut the European Union announced yesterday that claims about royal jelly — the rich secretion honey bees produce to raise a queen — cannot be substantiated. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved more than 200 health claims for use on food products, whittled down from 2,500.
Unsurprisingly, scientists upheld claims such as calcium being needed for the maintenance of healthy bones and that reducing salt could regulate blood pressure. But hundreds of supposed benefits of supplements taken by millions of people were rejected.
The EFSA found there was no evidence to suggest that royal jelly could boost the immune system or vitality. Its scientists also ruled that green tea did not maintain healthy blood pressure and found no evidence that glucosamine could help maintain the joints.
Richard Lloyd, the executive director of Which?, the consumer organisation, said: “It has been a long time coming, but consumers will soon be able to choose what products to buy based on fact, not fiction. Manufacturers now need hard evidence, not just clever marketing, to promote the health benefits of food and drinks.
“The Government must now also make sure products that are high in fat, sugar or salt can’t claim to be healthy simply because they contain one healthy ingredient.”
The rulings have been made by the EU as part of a painstaking process that has previously been branded wasteful and intrusive by critics. The EFSA attracted ridicule last month when it ruled that bottled water did not prevent dehydration — although it later declared that it could keep people cool and healthy.
The rulings have been made by the EU as part of a painstaking process that has previously been branded wasteful and intrusive by critics. The EFSA attracted ridicule last month when it ruled that bottled water did not prevent dehydration — although it later declared that it could keep people cool and healthy.
Rejected applications included the claim that Ferrero’s Kinder chocolate helped children grow and that drinking black tea helped to focus the attention.
Companies had applied to be able to make the claims in order to help market their products. The scientists backed the contentions that chewing sugar-free gum could help neutralise plaque acids and that products containing calcium promoted normal bone growth in children.
Support for claims that reduced consumption of saturated fat helped maintain normal cholesterol levels was also one of the less surprising decisions.
John Dalli, the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, said: “Consumers have the right to accurate and reliable information on food labels to help them make healthier choices. When it comes to health claims, ensuring that they are truthful and accurate is of particular importance.”
The final list of health claims must be approved by member governments before being formally adopted early next year, after which companies will have six months to remove any rejected claims from their products.
Some 2,000 further health claims are still awaiting assessment by the EFSA, while all health claims for plant and herbal substances are currently on hold.
The EU approved regulations in May 2006 to ensure that nutrition and health claims appearing on food products were scientifically proven.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8937206/Royal-jelly-is-not-so-super.html
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