What balanced diet for healthy aging ?

About Amway in Europe

Amway is one of the world’s leading direct selling companies with its European headquarter based in Munich, Germany. With more than 20.000 employees worldwide, Amway is a privately held company. Amway is present in more than 80 markets with revenue of 10.9 billion USD in 2011. Amway’s product range spans 450 items in the cosmetics, nutrition and household segments that can be obtained exclusively from self-employed Amway Business Owners.

Amway products are sold by more than 3 million independent distributors – more than 800.000 of which located in Europe (including Russia). Today, Amway’s brand NUTRILITE is the world’s No. 1 selling vitamins and dietary supplements brand, leading nutrition category sales approaching 4 billion euros in 2011.

The EU and food supplements

The food supplement market in Europe is worth around $13 billion. This makes the European market half the size of the USA market and around 20% of the global market. The market is experiencing significant growth in Eastern European countries.
Supplements may have encountered difficulties in being accepted by regulators. Indeed, food is an important, highly emotional, element of European culture (especially in the South of Europe). Eating is perceived as pleasure and as a social experience while being a way to obtain the nutrients we need.

Today supplements are regulated at the European level by the Food Supplements Directive. Whilst recognised as food by EU law, some EU states classify and regulate supplements like medicines.

The European Union is facing an aging population since Europeans have never lived as long and as healthy. Therefore the growing debate on the sustainability of European healthcare systems, in the face of demographic changeover the last decade, has put nutrition and healthy lifestyles at the heart of the European public policy debate. By decreeing 2012: “European Year of Active Ageing”, the European Parliament recognizes this demographic shift and underlines many new challenges, particularly in our food choices to maintain optimal health.

What role food supplementation, especially in providing important micronutrients, can play as part of a balanced healthy lifestyle? How can people attain longer life, but also maintain optimal health through the years and through old age? What is the role of nutrition in preserving health and well-being ?

Hosts

Imelda VITAL
Head of EU Office & Corporate Affairs Area Manager
AMWAY

Clarisse AILLET
EU Affairs Manager
AMWAY

Guests

Sophie AUCONIE
Member of European Parliament, PPE
Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Luca BATTISTINI
Manager of Food Related Issues
Association of the European Self-Medication Industry (AESGP)

Gaëtan CLAEYS
Assistant to MEP Sophie Auconie

Patrick COPPENS
Secretary General
European Responsible Nutrition Alliance (ERNA)

Jo LEINEN
Member of European Parliament, S & D
Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Martina MRNKOVA
Assistant to MEP Pavel Poc

Jorge PINTO ANTUNES
Policy Officer, « Innovation for Health and Consumers » Unit, Directorate-General for Health and Consumers
European Commission

Pavel POC
Member of European Parliament, S & D
Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Michèle RIVASI
Member of European Parliament, VERTS/ALE
Substitute member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Ruth VEALE
Head of Food, Health, Safety and Environment Department
Bureau Européen des Consommateurs (BEUC)