These claims link a nutrient to a specific health benefit – for example: ‘Calcium contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism’.
All claims need to be authorised before they can be used and claims will only be authorised if the applicant has provided enough scientific evidence to prove that there is a link between the substance and the health benefit being claimed.
Only authorised claims may be used (the Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register can be found on the GOV.UK website). Once a claim is authorised it can usually be used by anyone, not just the person who made the application.
Claims that have been authorised on the basis of proprietary data are listed in a separate annex. ‘Proprietary data’ (PD) is technical data that is considered a trade secret and has been developed at private expense. Claims that have been approved on the basis of PD can only be made by the business named in the entry for five years from the date of authorisation, after which time they can be used by anyone.
