The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) has adopted a new Code of Practice that ‘strengthens the alliance’s commitment to regulatory compliance and fair business practice.’ ESSNA members have helped develop the code and will be expected to comply with its provisions.
The code, which has been agreed by all ESSNA members, was created to clearly set out the duties expected of ESSNA’s membership, which include acting responsibly and with integrity, complying with all regulation on the content and labelling of sports nutrition products, and encouraging partner organisations to operate in accordance with the code’s principles.
ESSNA members clearly backed the code to ensure that the alliance continues to set standards for responsible behaviour for the rest of the industry and protect consumers from harmful products carrying misleading claims.
ESSNA, whose continually expanding membership currently stands at 44, is the voice of the European sports nutrition industry in dialogue with regulators, policy makers, the media and consumers. Its work focuses on campaigning in favour of proportionate EU legislation that does not adversely affect the sports nutrition sector, as well as monitoring and reporting irresponsible companies which flout EU law for commercial advantage and may put consumers at potential risk from dangerous products.
It has most recently welcomed Hungarian sports nutrition and food supplement manufactures, Scitec Nutrition, and Protein World, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of protein-based sports supplements, to its membership.
Dr Adam Carey, Chair of ESSNA, said “We’ve adopted this code to establish a baseline minimum standard of business practices that a member company can be measured against and held accountable for. Our work cracking down on irresponsible companies that break the laws put in place to protect consumers is at the heart of what we do, which is why it is even more important to us that our members set the highest standards for the rest of the industry to follow.
“We are confident not only that the code will serve to help members make good decisions should they find themselves in difficult situations but that consumers will recognise the work that ESSNA members put in to make sure that their products are safe, legal and effective.”
The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance is an alliance of European sports nutrition companies that was formed in December 2003.
Members of the alliance include Adams Food Ingredients, Aminolabs, Body Temple UK, CLF Distribution, First Milk, Future Nutrition, Iovate Health Sciences, Kinetica, Mass Nutrition Kostexperten, Maxinutrition, myprotein.co.uk, Natrol, NSF, Prometeus, Sci-MX Nutrition, Sports Supplements, Tropicana Health and Fitness, US Nutrition, USN UK, Volac, Weider Germany, NBTY Europe, BodyBuilding.com, Glanbia Performance Nutrition, PhD Nutrition, CytoSport UK, Future Nutrition, Arla Foods Ingredients, Athlete King Sports Nutrition Ltd, BULK POWDERS, Grenade, Vitamin Center, High5, DCC Health and Beauty, Healthspark, MP Bio Science, General Nutrition Corporation, Herbs in a Bottle, Scitec Nutrition and Protein World.
Associate members of the alliance include HFMA (The UK Health Food Manufacturers’ Association), Weider Publishing, Fitnessboutique, LGC, Cambridge Commodities, Healthy Inspirations and Nutraveris.
