ID 258 - Żelazo

PL: Żelazo
EN: Iron
Pdf: various food(s)/food constituent(s) that are referring to children’s development

Oświadczenie (2)

1. Charakterystyka żywności / składnika

The food constituent that is the subject of the health claims is iron which is a well recognised nutrient and is measurable in foods by established methods.
Iron occurs naturally in foodstuffs in different oxidation states. The primarily occurring oxidation states in biological systems are +2 (ferrous state) and +3 (ferric state).
Iron occurs naturally in foods in two forms, haem iron which is primarily derived from haemoglobin and myoglobin in meat and non-haem iron from plants in the form of iron complexes (IoM, 2001). Different forms of iron are authorised for addition to foods (Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1925/20066 and Annex II of Directive 2002/46/EC7). This evaluation applies to iron naturally present in foods and those forms authorised for addition to foods (Annex II of the Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 and Annex II of Directive 2002/46/EC).
The Panel considers that the food constituent, iron, which is the subject of the health claims, is sufficiently characterised.

2.5. Przemiany substancji ksenobiotycznych (oczyszczanie organizmu, detoksykacja) (ID 258)

The claimed effect is “metabolism of foreign substances”. The Panel assumes that the target population is the general population.
Enzymatic biotransformation reactions of xenobiotic substances after absorption involve Phase I and Phase II biotransformation reactions, which usually work together in a sequential manner to convert xenobiotics into more readily excretable metabolites (Yu, 2005; Buhler and Williams, 1988). Phase I biotransformation reactions include oxidation, reduction, and hydrolysis, while Phase II biotransformation consists essentially of conjugation reactions (Yu, 2005). Whereas biotransformation reactions normally result in detoxification, some chemicals may also be enzymatically converted to highly reactive, electrophilic metabolites which may induce cytotoxic, teratogenic, mutagenic or carcinogenic effects through reaction with various cellular constituents (Buhler and Williams, 1988).
The Panel notes that from the proposed wording it could not be established which xenobiotic substance or which biotransformation reaction related to the elimination of xenobiotic substances is the target for the claim.
In the absence of such information, the Panel considers that the claimed effect is general and non-specific and does not refer to any specific health claim as required by Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.

5. Warunki i możliwe ograniczenia stosowania oświadczenia

The Panel considers that in order to bear the claims a food should be at least a source of iron as per Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Such amounts can be easily consumed as part of a balanced diet. The target population is the general population. No Upper Tolerable Intake Levels (UL) have been set for iron (EFSA, 2004).

Warunki i możliwe ograniczenia stosowania oświadczenia

Must at least be a source of mineral/s as per annex to regulation 1924/2006 Agency guidance for supplements is that Products containing >20mg Iron should carry the label statement: '[This amount of iron] may cause mild stomach upset in sensitive individuals