Health claims according to Article 13 of the EC Regulation:

suggested priorities with reference to the Swedish Code on health claims and emphasis on relevance

Abstract

Based on principles specified in the Swedish Code on health claims and experiences from handling of claims
within the Code, priorities that may be useful when establishing a positive list of generic health claims and for
responsible use of claims are suggested. One key factor highlighted is that claims should be relevant and
meaningful for the consumer. To be useful in choosing a healthy diet, claims should primarily aim to stimulate
an intake in agreement with official nutrition recommendations. Claims may thus be considered as relevant
primarily for nutrients of which a considerable part of the population has an intake deviating from the
recommendations. For vitamins and minerals, commonly involved in many functions in the body, it would be
useful to prioritize claims referring to effects considered more important than others. Functions true for all
essential nutrients, and/or affected by a large number of dietary factors, would be less relevant to claim for
single vitamins and minerals. The relative importance of a specific vitamin or mineral, in relation to other
nutrients potentially exerting similar effects, should also be considered. Based on these priorities, and on
claims permitted or suggested as examples in the Code, a list of generic claims on vitamins, minerals, fatty
acids, carbohydrates, dietary fibre, energy and wholegrain is suggested. Additional issues considered within
the Code are also discussed.