Nutrition content claims and health claims are voluntary statements made by food businesses on labels and in food advertising.
Standard 1.2.7 sets out requirements for making these claims.
Nutrition content claims
Nutrition content claims are about the content of certain nutrients or substances in a food, such as 'low in fat' or 'good source of calcium'. These claims need to meet certain criteria. For example, food with a 'good source of calcium' claim needs to contain at least the amount of calcium specified in the Standard.
Health claims
Health claims are about the relationship between a food and health effects.
All health claims must be supported by scientific evidence.
Health claims are only permitted on foods that meet the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC). For example, the Standard doesn't allow health claims on foods higher in saturated fat, sugar or salt.
There are 2 types of health claims - general and high level.
General level health claims are about a nutrient or substance in a food, or the food itself, and its effect on health. For example: 'calcium for healthy bones and teeth'.
- These claims are either based on one of the more than 200 pre-approved food-health relationships in the Standard, or a food-health relationship self-substantiated by the food business using the scientific method set out in the Standard. FSANZ must be notified of self-substantiated general-level health claims.
High level health claims are about a nutrient or substance in a food and its relationship to a serious disease or to a biomarker of a serious disease. For example: 'Diets high in calcium may reduce the risk of osteoporosis in people 65 years and over'. An example of a biomarker health claim is: 'Phytosterols may reduce blood cholesterol'.
High level health claims must be based on pre-approved food-health relationships. There are currently 13 pre-approved food-health relationships for high level health claims listed in Schedule 4 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
Endorsements
Endorsements that are nutrition content claims or health claims are permitted if the endorsing body meets requirements set out in the Standard.
Complaints
If you have concerns about a nutrition content or health claim on a particular food in Australia, contact your state or territory health agency or department. Complaints about nutrition content and health claims in New Zealand should be directed to the Ministry for Primary Industries. In addition, fair trading laws in Australia and New Zealand require that labels do not misinform through false, misleading or deceptive representations. Read more about truth in labelling