“Prebiotics Sandpit” Workshop: Identifiyng Knowledge Gaps and a Roadmap for Building an Health Claims Portfolio

 

Background and Objectives

The Task Force has organised the interdisciplinary workshop “Prebiotics sandpit: Identifying knowledge gaps and a roadmap for building a health claims portfolio”. This activity seeks to bring together leading scientific experts, industry leaders and independent regulatory advisors, in an interactive and creative environment to identify current gaps in our mechanistic understanding of prebiotics, and propose next steps to fill these gaps. The workshop took place on 25 Oct 2023 as a side-event of the ILSI Europe Annual Symposium. This paper gives an overview of the regulatory requirements for authorised health claims in the EU, key areas of prebiotic research, and findings to date in relation to digestive, immune, metabolic and cognitive health.

Output

  • Interactive interdisciplinary workshop.
  • Workshop report.

The review emphasizes the need for robust clinical studies to confirm prebiotics' health benefits, potentially driving industry investment and guiding regulatory bodies like EFSA in setting clearer guidelines. This could lead to more authorized health claims for prebiotics in the EU and stimulate innovation in food products targeting European consumers.

Expert Group Members

WP DataTables

Publication