Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Reading
Food Labelling in the UK: A Guide to the Legal Requirements .............. Home Page |
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Nutrition and health claims
Note: The requirements of this section are derived from the retained EU Regulation 1924/2006 which, with appropriate amendments for the UK, applies controls on nutrition and health claims. Definitions are provided in the Regulation - see Definitions of Claims.
General Principle
Nutrition and health claims shall not:
- be false, ambiguous or misleading;
- give rise to doubt about the safety and/or the nutritional
adequacy of other foods;
- encourage or condone excess consumption of a food;
- state, suggest or imply that a balanced and varied diet
cannot provide appropriate quantities of nutrients in general.
- refer to changes in bodily functions which could give rise to
or exploit fear in the consumer, either textually or through pictorial, graphic or symbolic representations.
Conditions of Use
- The Regulation provides that the use of nutrition and health claims will in future be restricted on foods which do not meet specified 'nutrient profiles'. However none have been adopted. If they are adopted, foods which do not meet the profiles will have a transitional period of 24 months to remove the claims from the labels.
- Beverages containing more than 1,2% by volume of
alcohol shall not bear health claims.
As far as nutrition claims are concerned, only nutrition claims
referring to low alcohol levels, or the reduction of the alcohol
content, or the reduction of the energy content for beverages
containing more than 1,2 % by volume of alcohol, shall be
permitted.
General Conditions
The use of nutrition and health claims shall only be
permitted if the following conditions are fulfilled:
- the presence, absence or reduced content in a food or category
of food of a nutrient or other substance in respect of
which the claim is made has been shown to have a beneficial
nutritional or physiological effect, as established by
generally accepted scientific evidence;
- the nutrient or other substance for which the claim is made:
- is contained in the final product in a significant quantity
as defined in applicable enactments or, where such
rules do not exist, in a quantity that will produce the
nutritional or physiological effect claimed as established
by generally accepted scientific evidence; or
- is not present or is present in a reduced quantity that
will produce the nutritional or physiological effect
claimed as established by generally accepted scientific
evidence;
- where applicable, the nutrient or other substance for which
the claim is made is in a form that is available to be used by
the body;
- the quantity of the product that can reasonably be expected
to be consumed provides a significant quantity of the
nutrient or other substance to which the claim relates, as
defined in applicable enactments or, where such rules do
not exist, a significant quantity that will produce the nutritional
or physiological effect claimed as established by
generally accepted scientific evidence;
- compliance with the specific conditions set out below.
The use of nutrition and health claims shall only be
permitted if the average consumer can be expected to understand
the beneficial effects as expressed in the claim. Nutrition and health claims shall refer to the food ready
for consumption in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Scientific substantiation for claims
- Nutrition and health claims shall be based on, and substantiated
by, generally accepted scientific evidence.
- A food business operator making a nutrition or health
claim shall justify the use of the claim.
- The competent authority may
request a food business operator or a person placing a product
on the market to produce all relevant elements and data establishing
compliance with this Regulation.
Nutrition information
Where a nutrition claim or health claim is made (with the exception of generic advertising) nutrition labelling is mandatory (see Nutrition declaration for details).
In addition, where the claim relates to a nutrient:
- for which nutrition labelling is optional (mono-unsaturates, polyunsaturates, polyols, starch, fibre and specified vitamins and minerals), details of that nutrient is compulsory.
- that does not appear in the nutrition labelling, the amount of the substance shall be stated in the same field of vision and be expressed in accordance with the nutrition labelling rules. The units of measurement used shall be appropriate for the substance concerned.
Nutrition Claims - Specific Conditions
Nutrition claims shall only be permitted if they are listed
in the Annex to the Regulation and comply with the specified conditions.(see Table of permitted nutrition claims)
Nutrition Claims - Comparative claims (Article 9)
- A comparison
may only be made between foods of the same category, taking
into consideration a range of foods of that category. The difference
in the quantity of a nutrient and/or the energy value shall
be stated and the comparison shall relate to the same quantity
of food.
- Comparative nutrition claims shall compare the composition
of the food in question with a range of foods of the same
category, which do not have a composition which allows them
to bear a claim, including foods of other brands.
Health Claims - Specific Conditions
Health claims shall be prohibited unless they comply with
the general requirements given above and the specific requirements
given below. All health claims have be be on an approved list of authorised claims (see links below).
Health claims shall only be permitted if the following
information is included in the labelling, or if no such labelling
exists, in the presentation and advertising:
- a statement indicating the importance of a varied and
balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle;
- the quantity of the food and pattern of consumption
required to obtain the claimed beneficial effect;
- where appropriate, a statement addressed to persons who
should avoid using the food; and
- an appropriate warning for products that are likely to
present a health risk if consumed to excess.
Reference to general, non-specific benefits of the nutrient
or food for overall good health or health-related well-being may
only be made if accompanied by a specific health claim included on the authorised list.
Health Claims - Restricted Claims
The following health claims are not allowed:
- claims which suggest that health could be affected by not
consuming the food;
- claims which make reference to the rate or amount of
weight loss;
- claims which make reference to recommendations of individual
doctors or health professionals and associations other than national associations of medical, nutrition or dietetic professionals and health-related charities.
Guidance / Additional Information
The EU Regulation 1924/2006 (as amended for the UK) is complex but additional guidance is available. The following are suggested:
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