Ever felt like health claims on food labels are a bit of a maze? You’re not alone. In Europe, there are specific rules about what you can and can’t say on your packaging and in your advertising, all thanks to regulations like (EC) No 1924/2006 and (EU) No 432/2012. The goal? To make sure everything you see is clear, accurate, and backed by science.

What Exactly is a Health Claim?

A health claim is any statement that highlights a health benefit of a food. It could be about a specific nutrient or how a food supports a body function. These claims can be powerful for your business, showing off the healthy side of your products.

There are a few types of health claims, but we’ll focus on Article 13: General Function Health Claims. These are about how nutrients help with things like growth, development, and normal body functions.

The Basics: What You Need to Know

First off, you can’t mislead anyone. Health claims are for healthy folks and should only be used if your food actually meets the conditions for that claim. And a big no-no: you can’t say your food treats, prevents or cures diseases.

Diving into General Function Health Claims

These claims are all about the role of a nutrient in keeping things running smoothly. They’re approved by EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) after rigorous scientific evaluation, so you know they’re legit.

How Nutritics can help

Nutritics makes dealing with these claims super simple. Want to know if your product qualifies for a “source of” vitamin claim? Nutritics can tell you that. Here’s how:

  • Recipe Analysis: Nutritics analyses your recipes for over 125 nutrients. This is the first step to seeing what claims you can make.
  • Automatic Claim Generation: Based on this analysis, Nutritics automatically suggests the nutrition and related general function health claims you can use. Imagine, no more guesswork!
  • Label Creation: You can also create food labels with Nutritics, ensuring you show the nutrient information accurately.

Let’s say your product is a good source of copper. With Nutritics, you’ll know you can say, “Copper contributes to the normal function of the immune system.” Or if it’s high in Vitamin D, “Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones” becomes a possibility.

Stick closely to the approved phrasing. Little changes, like saying “improves” instead of “contributes,” can cause problems. Nutritics helps you stay on the right track with the correct wording.

Why Nutritics is a Game-Changer

  • Compliance Checks: Nutritics prevents you from making claims on products that don’t qualify, like those high in sugar or salt. It blocks claims to protect your business.
  • Regulatory Advice: The Nutritics team is there for you with expert advice on labels and products.
  • Beyond Claims: Nutritics also helps with cost analysis, recipe reformulation for better nutrition, and allergen alerts.

In short, Nutritics takes the headache out of health claims, helping you streamline compliance, ensure label accuracy and provide customers with clear, reliable information. It’s all about helping you confidently use nutrition and health claims that follow EU law. Ready to give it a try?