A claim is any food information, message or communication that is not required by law and states, suggests or implies that food has certain characteristics. For example, a nutrition declaration that states the amount of protein in the food is not a ‘claim’ because a nutrition declaration is required by legislation; however, the statement ‘A good source of protein’ is a ‘claim’ because it is not required by legislation.
The definition of ‘claim’ includes both written and spoken information, and includes pictures, graphics and symbols.
There are three types of claims made on foods: general claims, nutrition claims and health claims.
General claims do not relate to nutrition or health and include all other statements made on food information – for example, ‘Made with 100% renewable energy’.
There are no specific rules for general claims such as these; however, every statement that appears on the product and in any commercial communication that relates to the product (websites, promotional material, etc) must be true.
