You should be very mindful about any claims you put on labels. 

Any health claims made on products should include approved EU health claims (Nutrition & Health Claims Regulation) for ingredients within the product only. The claims should be specific to the ingredient NOT the product - this includes any product names you choose which may be construed as a health claim. If you make claims which are incorrect you risk having your products removed from the market.  
The best way to get the most up to date is via the commission website http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/labelling_nutrition/claims/register/public/?event=search The legislation is regularly updated with newly authorised health claims subject to individual application submitted pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. From here you can download a full list or use the search function. Make sure you select authorised in the top bar. 


Note: 'On hold' 

This doesn't give 'on hold' botanicals health claims which also can technically be used up until the point where we are told they cannot - as long as your company are confident you can defend them if challenged. Many of the 'on holds' have been on hold for years and can still be used. We recommend caution to relying on these too much due to the unstable nature of them being 'on hold'. These claims are also very specific on which type of herbs, parts of plants etc are used - some herbs have multiple variants. We outline in the text files which ones we feel are safe so it is best to stick to them.



The following claims are also prohibited:

  • Claims that state or infer that a food supplement has the property to treat, prevent or cure any adverse condition of body or mind.
  • False claims
  • Misleading claims – this includes misleading descriptions and visuals [visuals should not misrepresent the constituents of a product, e.g. a visual of a botanical ingredient that is not present in the product] 
  • Rate or amount of weight loss claims, e.g. that a certain amount of weight can be lost within a specified time frame 
  • Health claims which refer to recommendations from health professionals, e.g. ‘Dr X recommends product Y because it can do Z’ 
  • Health claims which suggest health could be affected by not consuming a particular food/supplement 
  • Claims that infer adequate nutrition cannot be obtained from a varied and balanced diet  [Ideally supplements should not be marketed as being ‘needed’, but rather to safeguard the diet] 
  • Medicinal claims; direct or implied. A medicinal product is defined as: 
  • Any substance or combination of substances presented as having properties for treating or preventing disease in human beings; 
  • Any substance or combination of substances which may be used in or administered to human beings either with a view to restoring, correcting or modifying physiological function by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action, or to making a medical diagnosis. 


Examples of medicinal claims: 

  • Improves bone strength 
  • appetite suppressant
  • boosts the body’s defences against infection
  • helps overcome stress; promotes sleep 
  • relieves hot flushes 
  • protects against heart disease
  • calms irritated skin
  • clears spots 
  • relieves stiff joints
  • stops hair loss
  • restores bowel regularity 
If you make any of these claims you risk the MHRA classifying your product as medicinal, thus preventing it being sold as a food supplement.

Marketing

Claims are not just an issue on labels. If your marketing materials or website contain unauthorised claims you run the same risks and may also be liable for prosecution. This includes any images you use which may imply a health claim - either in your advertising or on your product label. 


For example, when selling Glucosamine, if on your label you have an image of a skeleton indicating inflamed joints then this could be construed as a medicinal claim.


When creating your product labels we will follow the 'Label Text File' which you can find as a downloadable word document on each product page under tab 'Label Info'. Any customised product names, taglines or claims are made at your request, the responsibility of these names and changes are held with yourself/your brand, please use the information above to ensure that they are compliant as we will not be making checks on these.