health & nutrition
Health claims
Some countries have decided to allow certain health claims to educate consumers and encourage consumption of healthful foods.
Health claims are only issued if there is an adequate scientific evidence to support the proposed food/nutrient/component and health relationship and efficacy of the food in human consumers. The food or food component may help to reduce the likelihood of getting a certain disease.
Definitions of “health claim”
Health claims are messages that inform consumers about currently recognized links between nutrition and health (MARQUART et al., 2004).
Health claim means any claim that states, suggests or implies that a relationship exists between a food category, a food or one of its constituents and health (proposed EU regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods, 2003).
JHCI (Joint Health Claims Initiative, UK): A health claim is a direct, indirect or implied claim in food labelling, advertising and promotion that consumption of a food carries a specific health benefit or avoids a specific health detriment.
Based on the scientific evidence the UK, Sweden and the USA published health claims regarding whole grain and reduction of disease risk.
United Kingdom
Wording of the health claim: “People with a healthy heart tend to eat more whole grain foods as part of a healthy lifestyle.” (February 2002, Joint Health Claims Initiative)
- Whole grain ingredient definition: Whole grain contains bran, germ and endosperm in same relative proportion as the naturally occurring grain.
- Whole grain-qualifying level: 51 % whole grain per RACC (RACC is the reference amount customarily consumed, equivalent to the level of nutrient to be present in the “amount of food that can be reasonably consumed in a day” (Richardson, 2003).
- The term whole grain includes the major cereal grains: wheat, rice, maize and oats.
- “The health impact of a diet including whole grain foods depends on the rest of the diet as well as other lifestyle factors. The claim must be set within this context” (JHCI).
Other health claims in the UK
The inclusion of oats as part of a diet low in saturated fat and a healthy lifestyle can help reduce blood cholesterol (JHCI).
Sweden
Wording of the health claim: “A healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet rich in whole grain products reduce the risk for (coronary) heart disease. Product X is rich in whole grains (contains Y % of whole grain).” (June 2003, Swedish code)
- Whole grain ingredient definition: Whole grain contains all the constituents of cereal grains.
- Whole grain refers to intact or ground whole seed kernels of wheat, oats, barley and rye.
Whole grain-qualifying level:
- Product must contain at least 50 % whole grain
- When applicable, “key hole” shall be fulfilled: The key hole symbol implies a low fat, sugar or salt content, or it implies a high dietary fibre content. More detailed information can be found in the document National Food Administration’s Regulations on the Use of a Particular Symbol published by the Swedish National Food Administration.
- Epidemiological studies showed a connection between a high intake of whole grain cereal products, healthy lifestyles and a lower incidence of coronary heart disease.
Other health claims related to cereals in Sweden
Some types of soluble, gel-forming dietary fibre can contribute to a reduction in the cholesterol level.
- Dietary fibre and reduced risk of constipation
- Low glycaemic index
USA
Wording of health claim: “Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.” (July 1999, American Food and Drug Administration, FDA)
- Whole grain ingredient definition: whole grain contains bran, germ and endosperm in the same relative proportion as the naturally occurring grain.
- Whole grain-qualifying level:
- The claim is allowed on any product that contains 51 % whole grain per RACC.
The product must contain
- 1.7 grams of fibre from the whole grain source per 30 gram serving or 3 grams of fibre from the whole grain source per 55 gram serving less than 480 mg of sodium per RACC at least 10 % of the Daily Value for either vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, protein or fibre
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