Food Product Claims: What does this really mean?
It has become prevalent to find bold 'claims' on the packaging material of food products. Claim in this context is to declare, affirm or avouch. Food product claim may be in the form of health claim, nutrient claim or structure/function claim. You may have seen something similar to these:
"...contains 5 vitamins and minerals"
"... no sugar"
"... can help lower cholesterol"
"... energy booster"
"... calorie free"
"... low sodium"
"... heart friendly"
"... contains calcium for strong bones"
The list is endless.
- Health claim on a food product is basically the manufacturer saying that their food will reduce the risk of developing a disease or condition.
For example: If I say that food product A, is heart friendly and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, that is a health claim.
- Nutrient claim is basically the manufacturer describing the level of nutrient in their food by comparing with previous formulations of same food or that of their competitors using words like 'free', 'high', 'low', 'zero', 'no', etc.
For example: If I say that reformulated food product B now contains 10% more protein than previous formulation, that is a nutrient claim.
- Structure/function claim is basically the manufacturer saying that their food has an impact (positive) on the structure or function of the human body and can improve general well-being.
For example: If I say that food product C is packed with dietary fiber that improve gut health and bowel movement, that is a function claim. Food product claims are beneficial to the consumer, in that they bring certain attributes of the food to the attention of the consumer thereby helping the consumer make good decisions while shopping.
In other cases, they are to the benefit of the manufacturer or purely as a marketing gimmick. A good example is the "NO CHOLESTEROL" on the label of vegetable oil brands. Vegetable oils are derived from plants (eg oil palm, groundnut, soya beans, etc) and cholesterol is found in man, animals/animal products. It is one thing to make a claim and it is another thing for the claim to be true and it is yet another for the claim to be verified. In my opinion, it is therefore the responsibility of food manufacturers to ensure that the claim(s) listed on the packaging material of their food product is tested and truly represent(s) the nature of the food.
It is also the responsibility of regulatory bodies like National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and Consumer Protection Council (CPC) to ensure that these claims are verified before and after food product registration or sale after product reformulation.
Consumers can't do much here as such claims are often not ones to be detected with the naked eye.
About the Author
Chidinma Ezinne Ochulor is a certified Food Technologist, a quality assurance professional with over 3 years' experience. She is a professional member of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST). Reach her on LinkedIn, here.
