Skip to content

✓ AI-generated content: Responses are generated by AI, automatically assembled and may contain errors. Conformi is a research tool and does not replace legal advice or case-by-case legal review. All responses should be verified using the linked original sources.

Conformi/Knowledge Base/Food/Health Claims
🍎For food companies

Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on Nutrition and Health Claims Made on Foods

Analysis from 17 April 20262 sourcesConsolidated version (corrigendum published OJ L 12, 18.1.2007, p. 3, with subsequent amendments)EUR-Lex Original

Can our marketing team legally say our product 'boosts immunity' or 'reduces cholesterol' on EU labels and ads?

Every health claim on food labels or advertising in the EU must be pre-authorised by the Commission and listed in the Community Register since 1 July 2007 — unauthorised claims trigger enforcement by national authorities, including product withdrawal and injunctions [Art. 10].

Short Answer

Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 prohibits any nutrition or health claim on food unless it complies with the Regulation's requirements and, for health claims, is authorised and listed [Art. 10(1)]. Health claims must be substantiated by generally accepted scientific evidence [Art. 6(1)], and EFSA must evaluate each claim before the Commission decides on authorisation [Art. 16, Art. 17]. Beverages containing more than 1.2% alcohol by volume may not bear any health claim at all [Art. 4(3)]. Nutrition claims are permitted only if they appear in the Annex and meet the conditions set out therein [Art. 8(1)].

Who is affected

All food business operators placing food on the EU market with nutrition or health claims in labelling, presentation, or advertising — including importers and private-label brands [Art. 1(2)]. The Regulation also covers foods supplied to mass caterers (restaurants, hospitals, schools) [Art. 1(2)]. Trade marks or brand names construed as claims must comply unless accompanied by a compliant related claim [Art. 1(3)].

Deadline

Fully applicable since 1 July 2007 — permanent obligation. The Article 13(3) list of permitted health claims was adopted (Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012) and is continuously maintained. Operators must check the Community Register for current authorised claims before using any health claim [Art. 20].

Risk

The Regulation itself does not prescribe specific fines; enforcement and sanctions are set by Member State national law under the general food law framework (Regulation (EC) No 178/2002). Typical enforcement measures include product withdrawal from the market, cease-and-desist orders, injunctions against misleading advertising, and administrative fines — which vary by Member State. In addition, competitors may bring unfair competition claims under national law.

Proof

Legal status

  • • In force
  • • as of 2026-04-17
  • • Consolidated version (corrigendum published OJ L 12, 18.1.2007, p. 3, with subsequent amendments)

Primary sources

What to do now

Legal / DPO

  • •Audit every health claim used on packaging, websites, and advertising against the Community Register of authorised claims — any claim not listed or not meeting the conditions of use is unlawful [Art. 10(1), Art. 20].
  • •Review trade marks and brand names that could be construed as nutrition or health claims and ensure each is accompanied by a related compliant claim [Art. 1(3)].
  • •Verify that all health claim authorisation applications filed under Art. 15 or Art. 18 have received a positive Commission decision before the claim is placed on the market.

Compliance

  • •Establish an internal claims register mapping every nutrition claim to its Annex entry and every health claim to its Commission authorisation number, with conditions of use documented [Art. 8(1), Art. 13].
  • •Ensure labelling of products bearing health claims includes the four mandatory accompanying statements: importance of a varied diet, required consumption quantity, persons who should avoid the food, and excess-consumption warnings [Art. 10(2)].
  • •Implement a pre-launch claims approval gate requiring sign-off from legal and regulatory affairs before any new nutrition or health claim reaches packaging or advertising [Art. 6(2)].

IT / Security

  • •Maintain a version-controlled repository of all claim wordings, their authorisation references, and associated labelling assets so that any recall or amendment can be traced [Art. 6(2), Art. 20].
  • •Integrate an automated check against the Commission's EU Register of nutrition and health claims into the product information management (PIM) system to flag unauthorised claims before label artwork is released [Art. 20].
  • •Ensure e-commerce product pages and digital advertising copy are updated within the same release cycle as physical packaging whenever a claim authorisation changes or expires [Art. 1(2)].

Product / Engineering

  • •Reformulate or re-label any product bearing a nutrition claim not listed in the Annex or not meeting its quantitative thresholds — e.g. 'low fat' requires no more than 3 g of fat per 100 g for solids [Annex, Art. 8(1)].
  • •For beverages containing more than 1.2% alcohol by volume, remove all health claims and limit nutrition claims to those referring to low alcohol levels or energy reduction [Art. 4(3)].
  • •Where a product bears a health claim, ensure nutrition labelling provides the full Group 2 information (energy, protein, carbohydrate, sugars, fat, saturates, fibre, sodium) on the label [Art. 7].

Key Terms

Nutrition claim
Any claim which states, suggests, or implies that a food has particular beneficial nutritional properties due to its energy value or the nutrients it contains or does not contain [Art. 2(2)(4)].
Health claim
Any claim that states, suggests, or implies a relationship exists between a food category, a food, or one of its constituents and health [Art. 2(2)(5)].
Reduction of disease risk claim
A health claim stating that the consumption of a food or its constituents significantly reduces a risk factor in the development of a human disease [Art. 2(2)(6)].
Nutrient profile
A set of thresholds for nutrients such as fat, saturated fat, sugars, and sodium that a food must meet before it may bear nutrition or health claims [Art. 4(1)].
Community Register
A publicly accessible register maintained by the Commission listing all permitted nutrition claims, authorised health claims, rejected claims, and their conditions of use [Art. 20].
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)
The EU agency responsible for the scientific assessment of health claim applications, delivering opinions on whether claims are substantiated by scientific evidence [Art. 2(2)(7), Art. 16].
Food business operator
Any natural or legal person responsible for ensuring that the requirements of food law are met within the food business under their control, as defined in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 [Art. 2(1)(a)].
?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a nutrition claim and a health claim?
A nutrition claim states that a food has particular beneficial nutritional properties due to its energy value or nutrient content, e.g. 'low fat' or 'high fibre' [Art. 2(2)(4)]. A health claim states, suggests, or implies a relationship between a food or its constituents and health, e.g. 'calcium contributes to normal bone maintenance' [Art. 2(2)(5)]. Nutrition claims must match the Annex conditions; health claims require explicit Commission authorisation.
Can I use a health claim that is not yet on the Community list?
No. Health claims are prohibited unless they are authorised and included in the lists under Art. 13 or Art. 14 [Art. 10(1)]. A food business operator may apply for authorisation of a new claim under Art. 15 or Art. 18, but the claim must not appear on the market until the Commission has issued a positive decision.
Are there any health claims that are always prohibited?
Yes. Art. 12 prohibits three categories: (a) claims suggesting health could be affected by not consuming the food, (b) claims referencing the rate or amount of weight loss, and (c) claims referencing recommendations of individual doctors or health professionals not covered by Art. 11.
Does the Regulation apply to online advertising and social media?
Yes. The Regulation covers all nutrition and health claims made in commercial communications, including labelling, presentation, and advertising of foods delivered to the final consumer [Art. 1(2)]. This includes e-commerce listings, social media posts by or on behalf of food business operators, and influencer marketing where claims are made.
Can alcoholic beverages carry nutrition or health claims?
Beverages containing more than 1.2% alcohol by volume may not bear any health claim [Art. 4(3)]. For nutrition claims, only those referring to low alcohol levels, reduction of alcohol content, or reduction of energy content are permitted [Art. 4(3)].
What mandatory information must accompany a health claim on the label?
Art. 10(2) requires four elements: (a) a statement on the importance of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, (b) the quantity of food and consumption pattern needed for the claimed effect, (c) where appropriate, a statement for persons who should avoid the food, and (d) an appropriate warning against excessive consumption.
What role does EFSA play in the authorisation of health claims?
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) provides a scientific opinion on each health claim application within five months of receiving it, verifying that the claim is substantiated by scientific evidence and that the wording complies with the Regulation [Art. 16(1), Art. 16(3)]. The Commission then decides on authorisation taking EFSA's opinion into account [Art. 17(1)].
3

Assessment Factors & Checklist

Premium
Start 7-day free trial
4

Questions for Your Lawyer

Premium
Start 7-day free trial
5

Conclusion & Summary

Premium
Start 7-day free trial

Detailed analysis with source links.

Schalten Sie die KI-Analyse frei — mit markierten Fundstellen und direkten Links zu EUR-Lex. 7 Tage kostenlos testen.

Start 7-day free trial →

Keine Kreditkarte heute. Kündigung jederzeit.