Foods for the immune system
There are strict legal requirements for such health promises. A market sample conducted by the Hesse Consumer Center in supermarkets and drugstores shows that not all provider companies comply with these requirements. During their check in December 2022, the consumer advocates found 31 foods that already advertised a positive effect on the immune system on the front of the packaging. These mainly include juices and teas, but also sweets, a yoghurt drink and muesli.
Clear guidelines for health promises
According to EU law, supplier companies are only allowed to advertise foods as positive for the immune system if the product contains one of the defined nutrients in a specified minimum amount. This applies to iron, zinc, copper, selenium, vitamins A, B12, C, D and folate. Only then is the statement (claim) “xy contributes to the normal function of the immune system” permitted. The provider companies may only use this wording or a wording that has the same meaning. In addition, product names such as “immune protection” or statements such as “supports your immune system” must not appear alone on the packaging. These non-specific promises must be supplemented with the above nutritional claim.
Exaggeration is forbidden
Nevertheless, provider companies promise more than is permitted with the chosen product names or information on the front for a good third of the products. “In our opinion, formulations such as 'kick for the immune system' or 'immune protection' go beyond the approved health claim 'contributes to the normal function of the immune system',” says Wiebke Franz from the Hesse Consumer Center.
In four cases, the advertisers exaggerate through the claims themselves. Instead of the approved formulation, they use, for example, “healthy function” and “oat flakes, cashews and sunflower seeds provide zinc for a strong immune system”.
Health claim often hidden
Only in twelve of the products tested is the approved claim in the same field of view as the advertising. In 13 cases, the companies linked the advertising to the health claim via footnotes. “However, asterisks and the like are often inconspicuous and easy to overlook. In such cases, even a correct claim in the small print does not change the exaggeration in the advertising statement. “Looking at the front page determines the purchase decision, especially if someone has little time for grocery shopping,” says Franz.
In six cases there is even no connection between the advertising for the immune system on the front page and the approved claim in the small print.
Small pack – high basic price
What was also noticeable was that the prices differed enormously depending on the pack size, even though the contents were the same. For example, for a juice the basic price for a 280 milliliter bottle was 10.68 euros per liter, but for the 60 milliliter bottle it was more than twice as high: 23.17 euros per liter.
“The differences are often not immediately noticeable when looking at the unit prices when purchasing. We therefore recommend that you always compare the prices per kilogram or liter when shopping. It would be even better to avoid fortified foods with an “extra portion for the immune system” altogether. Because we have an abundance of foods that naturally contain the nutrients that support the immune system,” says Franz.
Source: Hesse Consumer Center
Also read: Fake news: a growing threat to children
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