Report examines newest analysis on approved product well being claims

Researchers engaged on the EIT Meals funded Well being Claims Unpacked challenge have printed a brand new report which reveals the outcomes of the challenge’s investigations into the communication of well being claims on meals labels.

For the final three years, researchers have been gathering information on client understanding of well being claims and their preferences for a way these are worded, in addition to holding interviews with producers, client organizations and quite a lot of different stakeholders to know their views and experiences in the usage of well being claims on packages, which falls underneath the EU Vitamin and Well being Claims Regulation (retained to be used in GB).

The Well being Claims Unpacked challenge is funded by EIT Meals, the world’s largest and most dynamic meals innovation group, supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Know-how (EIT). It’s being led by linguists on the College of Studying and contains companions from throughout Europe; the Technical College of Munich, the British Vitamin Basis, Foodmaestro, Maspex and the Polish Institute of Animal Copy and Meals Analysis.

The challenge is investigating how shoppers reply to the way in which well being claims are introduced on meals packages (significantly the wording) and the way meals firms cope with regulatory necessities. This analysis has concerned client focus teams within the UK, France, Germany and Poland and a web-based examine involving greater than 1,500 shoppers throughout these 4 international locations, in addition to Hungary and Romania.

The final word goal of the challenge is to create suggestions to tell coverage makers, within the hope that extra detailed steering will be produced to accompany the present Regulation, enabling meals producers, retailers and entrepreneurs to speak extra successfully in regards to the well being advantages of meals and drinks, which might assist shoppers to make extra knowledgeable decisions.

Rodney Jones, professor of sociolinguistics on the College of Studying stated, “In relation to client responses to well being claims, we discovered some actually fascinating outcomes, together with variations between shoppers within the UK, France, Germany and Poland. I hope that the findings from the challenge shall be used to tell steering for business on how the wording of approved well being claims will be modified in a approach that shoppers can perceive higher and is culturally acceptable, however that’s nonetheless compliant with the regulation.”