NattoPharma is proud to announce that the EU Commission finally has amended our product MenaQ7® Vitamin K2 to the list of legally added vitamins for fortified food and food supplements.

The approval process has involved included 3 stages: The scientific evaluation by the European Food Safety Authority which issued the positive scientific opinion for the MenaQ7® product November last year, the Novel Food decision which was approved by the EU Commissions Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCFCAH) April this year, and finally the amendment – also by SCFCAH – of MenaQ7® to the specific EU laws for food supplements and fortified food.

“The EU approval process has taken a very long time”, says CEO Thomas Christensen, “but now it is final. As the interest in the vitamin K2 market is rapidly growing, NattoPharma now has an important competitive advantage as the EU approval has been given based on our production process and product specifications. When the official new vitamin list is soon published we are the only company which legally can sell vitamin K2 in the EU, a must for success in the market”.

The MenaQ7® product appears on the vitamin draft text list as Vitamin K2, specified as menaquinone-7 and traces of menaquinone-6. The EU never publishes branded product names in their laws. “We are aware that the description might confuse actors in the market to believe that all products with this vitamin K2 content are now legal” says Thomas Christensen. “However, no other vitamin K2 products than MenaQ7® are presently approved for sale in the EU. Our competitors must recognise that it is their responsibility to apply for relevant authorization and to comply with all relevant Community food laws. We are extremely proud that NattoPharma’s clinical investment and regulatory work over several years has finally resulted in a positive regulatory position for our vitamin K2 product . Customers are now able to introduce MenaQ7® products in all EU countries”.

About MenaQ7®
MenaQ7, the Natural Vitamin K2 is extracted from fermented soybeans with guaranteed actives and stability, clinical substantiation and patents granted and pending. MenaQ7 provides the Natural K2 Vitamin in a form of menaquinone-7, the long chained molecule offering superior bioavailability and health effects in low doses, which has been tied to both bone and cardiovascular health.
For more information on the health benefits of MenaQ7, please visit www.menaq7.com.

About NattoPharma
NattoPharma, Norway, is the exclusive international supplier and brand-owner of MenaQ7, the most effective natural form of vitamin K2. NattoPharma has entered into a multi-year research and development program with the leading scientific vitamin K expert group in the world, VitaK BV, at the Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Maastricht, in the Netherlands, to substantiate and discover the health benefits of natural vitamin K2 for applications in the exciting marketplace for functional food and health food supplements. www.nattopharma.com