Healthy Products

1
Healthy Products

• What is a healthy product?
• Under Nutrition and Health Claims Regulations any
  product that carries an allowable nutrition or
  health claim can be described as healthy
• Does this match the consumer perception of
  healthy?

2
Nutrition Claims

• Easily understood and used by industry
• Clearly defined limits
• Positive list of allowable claims
• Compliance easily demonstrated
• But does the consumer think these claims are a
  justification for defining a product/range as
  healthy?

3
Use of Nutrition Claims

• Generally nutrition claims used to highlight
  individual facets of a current product
• Potential to use healthy as a marketing
  strategy for new development or to enhance
  current offering
• Health can also be attractive to potential
  partners who may enhance marketing potential

4
Developing a Healthy RangeNutrition

• Customer expects a balanced offering
• Define nutritional parameters to be met
• Communicate to NPD as part of design brief
• Design best format to communicate health message
  to customers

5
Worked Example Healthy Choice

• Low Fat
• Source of Protein
• Source of Fibre
• 80g Fruit Veg per serving
• Each individual product to meet or be lower than
  FSA salt target

6
Health Claims

• When does a statement become a health claim
• Beetroot is a superfood
• that contains antioxidants
• that are reported to reduce levels of bad
  cholesterol
• that is important for heart health

7
Use of Health Claims

• Health claims are more problematic for the
  general food industry
• Health claims must be proved but what is adequate
  proof
• There is to be a list of approved claims but
  guidance says that each company must have an
  individual dossier of proof

8
Levels of Proof

• Contains material approved in health claim
• In quantities where it will be effective
• In a form where it is bio available
• Unaffected by any processing
• This level of information is outside the scope of
  most food manufacturers

9
Approval Process

• Barrier to development of healthy products
• Acceptability of evidence not always assured
• Timescales for review aspirational rather than
  defined
• Lack of confidence that EFSA has the resources
  for speedy assessment

10
Summary

• Industry recognises the need for strict
  regulation of claims
• Nutrition claims well defined and easily used by
  industry generally
• Health claims less well defined and are likely to
  become the domain of specialists
• Is there the expertise readily available in
  enforcement to evaluate health claims dossiers?