Health claim

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Health claim

A Health claim (/ˈhɛlθ kleɪm/) is a statement about the relationship between a food or food component and health. Health claims are used in the labeling and marketing of food products to inform consumers about their potential health benefits.

Etymology

The term "health claim" is derived from the English words "health", meaning the state of being free from illness or injury, and "claim", meaning to state or assert that something is the case.

Types of health claims

There are three main types of health claims:

  1. Nutrient content claims: These claims describe the level of a nutrient in a food product. For example, "low fat" or "high in vitamin C".
  2. Structure/function claims: These claims describe how a nutrient or dietary compound affects the structure or function of the human body. For example, "calcium builds strong bones".
  3. Disease risk reduction claims: These claims describe the relationship between a nutrient or dietary compound and a disease or health-related condition. For example, "diets low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure".

Regulation of health claims

In many countries, health claims are regulated by government agencies to ensure that they are scientifically valid and not misleading to consumers. In the United States, for example, health claims are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Related terms

  • Nutrition facts label: A label required on most packaged food in many countries that shows what nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals etc.) are in the food.
  • Dietary supplement: A product intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients: a vitamin, a mineral, an herb or other botanical, an amino acid, a dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake, or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combinations of these ingredients.
  • Functional food: A food given an additional function (often one related to health-promotion or disease prevention) by adding new ingredients or more of existing ingredients.

External links

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