Health claim wins drive oral health NPD

The sector, rather atypically inEuropeat least, has benefited from regulatory changes around claims.

Ask almost any functional food or supplements business about regulation – at least in Europe– and they will tell you their effect has been unequivocally restrictive. Especially in regard to the highly controversial European Union nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) which the industry has been slamming for years for curtailing what it sees as vital food marketing, not to mention R&D and NPD.

But one sector that has performed better than most is oral care which has won a number of claims that has seen gum makers, confectionery makers and others ramp up their product pipelines to benefit from claims that chewing reduced-sugar gums, or using particular types of sweeteners can keep the cavity of your mouth, and the bones it houses (teeth), in good or better shape.

Vitamin D and calcium have also been backed to keep teeth strong by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Other claims have been OK'd in places like Japan, which remains the world's biggest functional gum market.

In Europe, EFSA said of vitamin D  that a daily intake could help maintain, “normal bone and teeth, absorption and utilisation of calcium and phosphorus”.

In response to a Wrigley’s application, it also said sugar-free gum could help in the, “reduction of tooth demineralisation and a reduction in incidence of caries.” 

A  claim the gum giant would say is well due. After all,  sugar-free gums have long been on the agenda of the world’s gum makers, and Wrigley’s as far back as 2001 formed a dental health alliance with Procter & Gamble. Ingredient suppliers like Cargill, Roquette, Beneo, Wild and more have been busy for decades refining polyols like xylitol, erythritol, maltitol and high intensity sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose.