Enriched Foodstuff on Basis of European Regulations N.1924 and N. 1925 Introduced in 2006: An Analysis of Consumer Protection

Abstract

The goal of this work is to analyse the underlying reasons of the EC Regulations nos. 1924 and 1925 of 2006 which rule the nutrition and health claims used in commercialising some categories of food products. In particular, we investigated the importance of enriched foods, the different types existing in the market and their characteristics that depend on the adding process of specific elements or substances. The commonest enriched foods are produced with small amounts of minerals and vitamins, even though the mentioned EC regulations do not exclude the addition of other substance with beneficial effect for health. Recent studies highlighted that in the labyrinth of diversified food innovations, consumers are not always provided with appropriate information to correctly understand the nutrition label of food products in order to make rational choices according with nutritional requirements. Moreover, just a few years after the introduction of EC Regulations nos. 1924 and 1925 of 2006, the high number of messages conveyed by the advertising of enriched products and the lack of comprehensive legislation make the understanding of nutrition messages more difficult and reduce the consumer protection.