A study of nutrition and health claims - a snapshot of what's on the Irish market

Objective: To examine the use of nutrition and health claims on packaged foods commonly eaten in Ireland. Design: An assessment of the labels of packaged food products that are commonly eaten in Ireland to determine the level of use of nutrition and health claims. Where present, the exact text of the claims as observed was recorded for seventeen different food categories and the claims categorised in accordance with EU Regulation 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods. Setting: Four retailers in Dublin, Ireland. Results: Of the foods surveyed, 47.3% carried a nutrition claim and 17.8% carried a health claim. Frozen fruit & vegetables and Breakfast cereals were the food categories with the highest proportion of nutrition claims. The most widespread nutrition claim was that referring to 'fat' and, within this group, the most commonly used text was 'low fat'. The largest category of health claims observed in the present survey was general health claims. Claims referring to the digestive system were the most common followed by claims that a product will 'lower/reduce/regulate your cholesterol'. Yoghurt & yoghurt drinks was the food category with the highest proportion of health claims, of which improving or boosting the digestive system was the most common. Conclusions: The use of nutrition and health claims on the Irish market is widespread. EU Regulation 1924/2006 requires monitoring of the market for these types of claims. The current study could provide baseline data for the food industry and regulators to monitor the development of this market in the future.