Introduction to health and nutrition content claims

What are health claims?

Health claims are voluntary statements that refer to a relationship between a food and a health benefit.

There are 2 types of health claims:

general level health claims or nutrition content claims
high-level health claims

General level health claim

A general level health claim links a food product to a health effect that relates to general health and wellbeing. An example might be ‘Calcium is good for strong bones’.

High-level health claim

A high-level health claim identifies products that can protect against a serious disease or a risk factor for a serious disease. An example might be ‘Diets high in calcium and vitamin D may reduce the risk of osteoporosis’.

What are nutrition content claims

A nutrition content claim states how much of a nutrient or substance is in a food. Examples might be, 'a good source of vitamin C' or 'gluten-free'.

Making a nutrition content claim

Making and substantiating a health claim

Health claims must be backed by robust scientific evidence. They are only permitted on foods that meet certain nutrition requirements.

Making and substantiating a health claim

Nutrition and health claims regulation

New Zealand and Australia have a common regulation for nutrition and health claims called "Standard 1.2.7 — Nutrition, Health and Related Claims". Standard 1.2.7 states the requirements for making a health claim.

Standard 1.2.7

This regulation applies to any claims made on labels or in advertising. Advertising includes: