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Nutrition & Dietetics vocabulary · Food Labels and Guidelines

Health claim

Meaning in nutrition & dietetics, with examples

nounCommon term

In nutrition & dietetics, health claim means: A statement on a food label or in advertising that links a food or nutrient to health, such as 'calcium is needed for the maintenance of normal bones'.

In Turkish: sağlık beyanı

How it is used

Strictly regulated: in the EU and Turkey only authorized health claims may be used, and in the US the FDA controls them. A 'nutrition claim' is different: it describes content, such as 'low fat' or 'high in fiber'. Dietitians help clients look critically at claims on packaging.

Example sentences

  1. The company had to remove the health claim because it was not on the authorized list.

  2. A health claim on the front of a pack does not mean the whole product is healthy.

Common collocations

  • authorized health claim
  • make a health claim
  • nutrition claim
  • misleading claims
  • nutrition labelThe panel on packaged food that lists the energy and the amounts of nutrients, such as fat, carbohydrate, sugar, protein and salt, usually per 100 g and per serving.
  • fortifiedDescribing a food to which vitamins or minerals have been added, often ones not naturally present, to improve nutrition, such as flour with folic acid or salt with iodine.
  • dietary guidelinesOfficial, evidence-based recommendations from a government or health authority on what the population should eat to stay healthy and reduce the risk of disease.
  • allergenA substance, usually a protein, that can cause an allergic reaction. In food labeling, it refers to specific foods such as peanuts, milk, eggs, fish, wheat or sesame.

More terms: Food Labels and Guidelines

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.