What claims can – and cannot – be made about products is becoming an increasingly complex area.

In the United States, legislation about claims was initiated through the enactment of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) in 1990. Regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, the process is still evolving. Canada followed some time later, defining its process in 2003. Next comes Europe, with new regulations established in July of this year, to be followed by Australia and New Zealand, where new regulations were proposed in April. Other regions will follow, due to a World Health Organisation recommendation. Most will be broadly based on the guidelines provided by the Codex.

Along with these claims’ regulations comes legislation on advertising and packaging. Therefore, the changes have a major effect on how the consumer will see the product. As such, an understanding of the rules in a particular market will be vital, regardless of whether the claims are proprietary or generic.

Three Key Categories

These claims fall into three categories: nutrient content health claims (e.g. “a good source of calcium”); general health claims (e.g. “will help grow healthy bones”) and disease-related health claims (e.g. “reduces osteoporosis in later life”).

Then the issues get more complex, because the criteria for terms such as “a good source of” or “high in” often differ by market. In some cases, you may simply need to check that claims about your product meet local market requirements for displaying messages on packaging. In others, specific claims need to be submitted with portfolios of supporting science before they can be used.

As a result, Global Dairy Platform has started a database containing the rules and regulations that exist or are being proposed, for members’ use on the GDP website. The idea was discussed in Dublin at the International Dairy Federation Standing Committee on Labeling. Committee members agreed that the database would be particularly useful if it contained entries from all countries and suggested that it should be available as an industry resource through the IDF website as well.

Members who already have claims established are encouraged to contact Dr. Cindy Schweitzer, GDP Technical Director, at cschweitzer@globaldairyplatform.com.