Health claims for food—the UK perspective

Abstract

In the absence of specific European legislation on health claims on food, a number of EU Member States have developed self-regulatory initiatives to help clarify the requirements for making claims about the health benefits of nutrients and dietary components. Guidelines have been developed to help ensure that claims do not contravene current food law, are scientifically true when applied to products and provide meaningful health messages to consumers. Within the next few years, these initiatives will be replaced by a European Regulation, currently in draft form, that will govern all nutrition and health claims on food. This article presents an overview of activities undertaken by the Joint Health Claims Initiative, the UK's self-regulatory approach, and a summary of the JHCI's position on the European Commission's draft Regulation.