Chocolate good for you, say Eurocrats
Company given right to highlight health benefits as it says two squares a day help maintain healthy circulation
CHOCOLATE is good for you – that is the message from Brussels as Eurocrats have given a manufacturer permission to mention the health benefits of the flavanols it contains
Swiss manufacturer Barry Callebaut has been told it can mention that two squares of its Acticoa chocolate a day can support healthy circulation and help to maintain elasticity in blood vessels. It won the support of the European Commission to highlight the benefits of cocoa flavanols.
Peter Boone, chief innovation officer at Barry Callebaut, said: “Receiving the right to use a health claim on cocoa flavanols by the EU Commission is most valuable for us as it is a great reward for long years of extensive research. The health claim is opening up new market potential.”
The decision by the European Food Safety Authority is a first for the cocoa and chocolate industry.
Barry Callebaut won the right to use the health claim that “cocoa flavanols help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, which contributes to normal blood flow”.
The company provided evidence that the daily intake of 200mg of cocoa flavanols (provided by 2.5 g Acticoa cocoa powder or 10g Acticoa dark chocolate) supports a healthy blood circulation by helping to maintain the elasticity of the blood vessels.
That is the equivalent of one or two squares of chocolate.
Barry Callebaut, a merger of French-based Cacao Barry and Belgium’s Callebaut, is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, selling about €4billion of produce a year.
