ABSTRACT
Scientific evidence showed that carotenoids such as lycopene (abundant in tomatoes, watermelons, and pink varieties of grapefruit), has antioxidant activity and is involved in reducing the risk of suffering from different types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. With independence of results reported in scientific literature, food products marketed in the European Union must comply with the following regulations regarding claims on labeling: R 1924/2006, R1925/2006, R 1169/2011, and their subsequent amendments. Regulation (EC) 1924/2006 prohibits a food to be promoted as having therapeutic or curative properties and established the following categories of statements: "nutrition" or "content"; "health claims", "disease risk reduction". The application process is carried out through EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) and, in particular, the scientific evaluation is the responsibility of the NDA Panel (Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies) within the Nutrition Unit. To date, EFSA has published more than 300 opinions and provided scientific advice on more than 2500, of which 33 referred to lycopene as either a specific compound, component of a food or constituent of a mixture in a commercial product. All but one (Article 14) corresponds to Article 13, and most of them (12) correspond to Article 13.1 requests, and are related to the antioxidant properties of lycopene. In relation to health claims, so far only one application has been approved in relation to tomato derivatives and corresponds to water-soluble tomato concentrate, without lycopene, for which the claimed effect is "reduction of platelet aggregation" and corresponds to Article 13(5).
