1. In giving its opinion, the Authority shall respect a time limit of five months from the date of receipt of a valid application. Whenever the Authority seeks supplementary information from the applicant as provided for in paragraph 2, such time limit shall be extended by up to two months following the date of receipt of the requested information submitted by the applicant.
2. The Authority or a national competent authority through the Authority may, where appropriate, request the applicant to supplement the particulars accompanying the application within a specified time limit.
3. In order to prepare its opinion, the Authority shall verify:
(a) that the health claim is substantiated by scientific evidence;
(b) that the wording of the health claim complies with the criteria laid down in this Regulation.
4. In the event of an opinion in favour of authorising the health claim, the opinion shall include the following particulars:
(a) the name and address of the applicant;
(b) the nutrient or other substance, or the food or the category of food, in respect of which a claim is to be made and its particular characteristics;
(c) a proposal for the wording of the health claim, including, as the case may be, the specific conditions of use;
(d) where applicable, conditions or restrictions of use of the food and/or an additional statement or warning that should accompany the health claim on the label and in advertising.
5. The Authority shall forward its opinion to the Commission, the Member States and the applicant, including a report describing its assessment of the health claim and stating the reasons for its opinion and the information on which its opinion was based.
6. The Authority, in accordance with Article 38(1) of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, shall make its opinion public.
The applicant or members of the public may make comments to the Commission within 30 days from such publication.]