Food for special medical purposes consumer protection

Abstract

Background. Consumer rights protection is one of the urgent social and economic problems of any state. Nowadays there are particularly actual consumer problems related with the promotion of food products for special needs of certain consumer categories and information about its properties. In modern nutritional practice usage of food products for special medical purposes, including enteral nutrition, which have impact on reducing the use of drugs, strengthening the patients’ body and other important aspects of consumption, has become very widespread. An obligatory condition of these products market development is the provision of consumer access to available, relevant information about products properties.
The aim of work is the development of scientific and practical basis for consumers of food products for special medical purposes rights protection.
Material and methods. The methodological basis of the research were the methods of scientific knowledge, systematic approach and generalization, international and national laws and regulations, scientific works of Ukrainian and foreign scientists.
Results. The empowerment of consumer rights and opportunities, including of patients of medical institutions, is crucial to improving their health, functioning health system and enhance consumers’ satisfaction with the provision of medical services. The European Union effectively implements new approaches to consumer rights implementation as a prerequisite for the effective development of the common market. Taking into account the specific characteristics of circulation and increased requirements to food for special medical purposes, the problems of ensuring and realizing the fundamental rights of consumers of goods, in particular state consumer protection, right to choose, safety and quality of goods and information. To ensure the rights of foods for special medical purposes consumers a system of measures to coordinate the actions of central and local government organizations, manufacturers, public organizations of consumers, doctors, etc. was developed.
Conclusion. The balance of interests of market relation participants is the main condition for the market development and rehabilitation. The situation in the field of food for special medical purposes consumer protection can be stabilized by the efforts of all market participants, improvement of the legal framework on the procedure of treatment of this group of products, the establishment of safety indicators and algorithm of biomedical research, introduction of modern concepts of safety and quality, that would provide sustainable guarantees to consumers on the conformity of declared properties product with their expectations.