Setting of nutrient profiles for accessing nutrition and health claims: proposals and arguments June 2008 1/83 Scientific coordination Mr Jean-Christophe Boclé, Miss Sabine Houdart and Dr Esther Kalonji, overseen by Professor Irène Margaritis Chair of the working group Professor Ambroise Martin 2/83 CONTENTS Contents................................................................................................................................................... 3 Members of the working group................................................................................................................. 5 List of abbreviations................................................................................................................................. 6 Table of illustrations................................................................................................................................. 7 Report summary ...................................................................................................................................... 8 1 CONTEXT........................................................................................................................................ 9 2 METHOD ....................................................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Working method......................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 General principles ...................................................................................................................... 10 3 Nutrient profiles: definitions and use............................................................................................... 11 3.1 Contextual elements of European Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 ................................................ 11 3.2 Definitions adopted in the report ................................................................................................. 12 4 Review of the key criteria of nutrient profiles.................................................................................. 13 4.1 Different types of model.............................................................................................................. 13 4.1.1 Across-the-board system................................................................................................... 13 4.1.2 Category-based system ..................................................................................................... 13 4.1.3 Combined systems ............................................................................................................ 14 4.2 Type of nutrients ........................................................................................................................ 15 4.2.1 Selection of disqualifying nutrients only............................................................................ 15 4.2.2 Consideration of qualifying nutrients and disqualifying nutrients..................................... 15 4.2.3 Criteria for choosing nutrients.......................................................................................... 16 4.3 Reference bases.......................................................................................................................... 17 4.4 Nutrient profile calculation method............................................................................................. 17 4.4.1 Nutritional recommendations: nutrient threshold values and origins ................................ 17 4.4.2 Consideration of consumption patterns and dietary habits................................................ 18 4.4.3 Scores or thresholds: methods for integrating criteria and establishing the classification .. 18 4.5 Testing of profiling schemes ....................................................................................................... 19 4.5.1 Expert judgements............................................................................................................ 19 4.5.2 Consumption surveys........................................................................................................ 19 4.5.3 Modelling or simulation techniques .................................................................................. 20 4.5.4 Analytical epidemiological studies..................................................................................... 21 4.5.5 Overall assessment of methods for testing nutrient profiling schemes ............................... 21 5 Working group’s original studies on food categorisation ................................................................. 22 5.1 Principle of PCA-HAC ............................................................................................................... 22 5.1.1 PCA.................................................................................................................................. 22 5.1.2 HAC ................................................................................................................................. 22 5.1.3 Data used.......................................................................................................................... 22 5.2 Feasibility of food categorisation using the PCA-HAC principle................................................... 22 6 Original studies and Afssa proposal: a two-score, across-the-board scheme, (SAIN5OPT, LIM3) ....... 24 6.1 Principle of the (SAIN, LIM) system ........................................................................................... 24 3/83 6.1.1 Formulas .......................................................................................................................... 24 6.1.2 Graphic representation..................................................................................................... 25 6.2 Use of (SAIN, LIM) for access to claims...................................................................................... 26 6.2.1 Choice of nutrients ........................................................................................................... 26 6.2.2 Choice of disqualifying nutrients ...................................................................................... 26 6.2.3 Choice of qualifying nutrients........................................................................................... 27 6.3 Calculations............................................................................................................................... 32 6.3.1 Reference values and marker values ................................................................................. 32 6.3.2 SAIN 5opt formula ........................................................................................................... 32 6.3.3 LIM 3 formula.................................................................................................................. 33 6.4 Conditions for access to claims ................................................................................................... 34 6.4.1 Health claims.................................................................................................................... 34 6.4.2 Nutrition claims................................................................................................................ 34 6.4.3 Nutrition claims with derogation ...................................................................................... 35 6.4.4 No claim ........................................................................................................................... 36 6.5 Example of results obtained with Afssa’s proposal ....................................................................... 36 6.5.1 Data used.......................................................................................................................... 36 6.5.2 Graphic representation..................................................................................................... 36 6.5.3 Example of the classification results (SAIN, LIM)............................................................. 36 6.5.4 Overall assessment of the example presented .................................................................... 39 6.5.5 Conclusions and prospects for the (SAIN, LIM) scheme.................................................... 39 7 Conclusions and recommendations.................................................................................................. 41 8 Glossary.......................................................................................................................................... 43 9 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................... 44 10 Annexes..................................................................................................................................... 46 4/83 MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP ■ Members of the "Human Nutrition" scientific panel Dr Mariette Gerber Dr Paule Martel Professor Ambroise Martin – Chair of the Working Group Dr Geneviève Potier de Courcy Professor Daniel Rieu ■ Other experts Dr Dominique Bouglé– CHU Caen Dr Véronique Braesco – INRA, CRNH Auvergne1 Dr Nicole Darmon– UMR INRA INSERM Marseilles ■ Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des aliments (Afssa - French Food Safety Agency) Mr Jean-Christophe Boclé– UENRN Miss Sabine Houdart– UENRN Dr Esther Kalonji– UENRN