News
The Tomato Foundation Health Claim Project
30% of funding target are raised
As of 1 May 2018
Raised: 79,500€. Target: 270,400€.
The ongoing expansion of the Tomato Foundation Health Claim Project Consortium continues – rallying support from companies within the tomato industry global supply chain. The project focuses on obtaining an EFSA health claim for tomato paste/tomato products and improved blood flow – based on an existing EFSA health claim for a tomato supplement, awarded in 2009.
The Tomato Foundation asks the simple question: Why does a supplement made exclusively from tomato paste have an EFSA health claim, but not the tomato paste it’s made from?
To answer that question The Tomato Foundation launched the Health Claim Project Consortium, an inter-professional group of food industry, academia and researchers. The health claim project creates common ground for a united action. Competitor companies and brands have successfully built a consensus that an authorised health claim will create a fundamental shift in how consumers value all tomato products – forever.
An independent feasibility study has determined the project has a high likelihood of successful outcome. A comprehensive study of bioactive levels in paste and products will be followed by two human nutrition trials. The resulting project data will be added to the existing Fruitflow research to build a definitive body of evidence for submission to EFSA. A successful EFSA health claim will also automatically authorise an FDA Structure/Function claim in the USA and open the door to health claims in many other territories. The simplicity of the health effect – improved blood flow – is regarded as relevant in people's lives, making it accessible, easy to communicate and highly marketable.
The Tomato Foundation invites collaboration, participation and support for the next step in the project, which is the tomato paste and product sample study. Samples from multiple locations will be tested. The study will be carried out by the SSICA food research institute – in Parma, Italy. All consumer products that are tested in the study – and pass for sufficient bioactive content – will be awarded a licence of use for the health claim. Only project consortium companies will be able to use this health claim for their products.
Some complementary data
For further details regarding scientific and regulatory aspects, see the Brochure at http://www.tomatofoundation.org/docs/TF_HCP_Br_2018.pdf
Full information about the project and how to join the consortium can be found here:
ENGLISH: the tomato foundation | consortium
ITALIANO: la tomato foundation | consortium
ESPAÑOL: la tomato foundation | consortium
For all enquiries, please contact David Sutherland: david@tomatofoundation.org
Source: the Tomato Foundation
Full information can be downloaded here :
