Health and nutrition claims aren't just a marketing strapline; they carry legal weight.
Every claim you make on food and beverage products sold in the EU and UK must follow strict guidelines.
To help you meet these mandatory requirements, here’s our no-nonsense guide to making EU and UK health and nutrition claims on your packaging and marketing.
The basics: health claims vs nutrition claims
Before diving into the regulations, let's clarify the two types of claims you can make about food and beverage products.
Health claims
These are statements about how a product or ingredient affects people’s health. They can range from general wellbeing claims to specific function claims about body systems.
Examples of areas where health claims can be made (when properly authorised) include:
- Functions of the nervous system and psychological functions
- Physical performance and exercise
- Bone, joint and oral health
- Weight management and blood glucose control
- Immune system and gastrointestinal health
Health statements on product packaging and marketing must be scientifically proven and officially authorised before use. It's essential that any health-related messaging on food products doesn't suggest therapeutic benefits; assertions that a food or ingredient can help prevent or cure a disease are strictly prohibited.
Nutrition claims
These are straightforward statements about a product’s nutritional content. They are simple statements but must meet specific thresholds to be legally compliant.
Popular nutrition claims include:
- Low fat (less than 3g per 100g for solids)
- Fat-free (product contains no more than 0.5 g of fat per 100g/100ml)
- High fibre (at least 6g per 100g)
- Low sodium/salt (no more than 0.12 g of sodium/salt equivalent per 100g/100ml)
- Source of protein (at least 12% of energy value from protein)
- Reduced sugar (contains at least 30% less sugar than similar products)
Evidencing health and nutrition claims
Every health or nutrition claim on your product packaging or marketing needs proper scientific backing to meet EU and UK regulatory standards.
Health claim evidence requirements
To ensure your health claim is compliant within Europe, you must:
- Check the claim is authorised in the relevant EU/UK register
- Collect scientific evidence that supports the claim
- Use precise and factual language (no exaggeration)
- Ensure the relationship between nutrients and health benefits is clearly stated
- Include any required qualifying statements or warnings
- Meet all conditions of use specified for the claim
Nutrition claim evidence requirements
To ensure your nutrition claim is compliant in Europe, you must:
- Have solid evidence that your product contains enough of the relevant nutrient
- Make claims about the nutrient, not the product itself
- Consider the whole nutritional profile of the product and whether the claim is specific to that product or inherent to every comparable product
- Use precise and factual language (no exaggeration)
- Tell consumers how much of your product they need to consume to get the health benefits
Getting authorisation for a new health claim
While there are many established health claims you can use to promote your products, you may wish to make a “new” claim that has not yet been approved.
Many product health claims have not received approval because of insufficient scientific evidence at the time their application was reviewed. But science is always progressing, and there may be new studies that you can submit for review and authorisation to get your claim approved.
Just bear in mind that approving a new health claim can take a long time, so factor this into your launch plans.
Correctly wording your health or nutrition claim
Precise wording is crucial when creating marketing materials and product packaging designs. While you can phrase authorised claims with some flexibility, you must maintain their original meaning without overstating their potential impact.
Your marketing materials should also clearly communicate any required qualifiers and, if relevant, specify serving sizes needed to achieve the claimed benefit. This ensures consumers receive accurate information while keeping your claims compliant with EU and UK regulations.
Product claims: common mistakes to avoid
Watch your language when creating health and nutrition claims, as the wording can impact whether your statement is compliant. Here are some examples:
Bone health
- Compliant: "Calcium contributes to the maintenance of normal bones"
- Non-Compliant: "Calcium improves bone health" or "prevents osteoporosis"
Immune system
- Compliant: "Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system"
- Non-Compliant: "Vitamin C boosts your immune system" or "prevents colds"
Heart health
- Compliant: "Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, contribute to the normal function of the heart"
- Non-Compliant: "Protects against heart disease" or "lowers the risk of a heart attack"
Digestive health
- Compliant: "Rye fibre contributes to normal bowel function"
- Non-Compliant: "Cures digestive problems" or "eliminates bloating"
Brain function
- Compliant: "Iron contributes to normal cognitive function"
- Non-Compliant: "Enhances memory" or "makes you smarter"
Context is equally important. For example, you can't say your product “boosts energy levels," but you can say it contains iron, which contributes to a normal energy-yielding metabolism. This statement is less exciting, but it keeps you on the right side of the regulations.
Get professional support with your health and nutrition claims
Product claims can be powerful promotional tools, but one wrong word could land you in hot water with industry regulators.
Getting health and nutrition claims right is also essential for building and maintaining customer trust. Although the legislation might seem restrictive, it ensures consumers get accurate information about the foods they buy.
EU and UK product claims can be complex to navigate, but you don't have to do it alone. Working with a regulatory expert can ensure your product marketing is compliant and effective.
Hooley Brown helps food, drink and supplement brands validate product claims to create powerful messages that meet EU and UK legal requirements.
Book a discovery call with our Director, Clare Daley, for no-nonsense support with your product claims.
This article was published in February 2025. Regulations can change. Always verify current requirements and seek professional advice for specific situations.
