“Differentiate and build trust”: Health claims boost brand engagement

26 Aug 2020 --- With consumers paying more attention to labels than ever before, health claims present a lucrative way for companies to set themselves apart. Immunity and gut health are particularly strong areas of growth, but care must be taken to ensure products have iron-clad scientific backing. NutritionInsight speaks to Fonterra, Kerry and Lehvoss Nutrition UK about how to effectively engage with consumers through health claims, while spotlighting where future opportunities lie.

“A health claim is any statement about a relationship between food and health. The presence of health claims on foods could support the achievement of public health objectives as these statements provide consumers information on health advantages. However, since health claims are also a marketing technique, it is important to have a robust regulatory framework,” says Siska ten Hoeve, Regional Manager of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs in Europe and Africa at Fonterra. 

She adds that in particular, the European Commission (EC) authorizes health claims provided they are based on scientific evidence and can be easily understood by consumers. The fact that food companies can submit a dossier and apply for approval for a health claim can be seen as an opportunity, especially since evidence suggests that health claims could increase market share. 

However, Ten Hoeve flags a downside to this process, which is the risk of rejection. Similarly, a spokesperson for Lehvoss Nutrition UK’s Quality and Regulatory Department, notes that it can be challenging to find ingredients that have sufficient data to satisfy EFSA in giving approval to a health claim.

Nonetheless, health claims represent a useful way of communicating with consumers. John Quilter, VP & General Manager of Kerry, notes that claims give manufacturers a valuable way to both differentiate and build trust. “Around four in ten consumers worldwide are more likely to buy a healthy lifestyle product if they see claims based on research or scientific data, with as many as half in some regions saying they want to see a product’s benefits explained on the packaging.”

Closely reading the label
Indeed, Innova Market Insights reports that more than half of US shoppers are reading the labels for nutrition and ingredient products. Two-thirds of this group agree that they are attracted to products labeled “natural,” while more than half say they want to avoid artificial colors. The market researcher also notes that on-pack certification seals such as “Certified Organic” and “Non-GMO Project Certified” are on the rise in both the US and Canada.

Additionally, new F&B launches featuring an active health claim have increased globally by 7 percent (CAGR, 2015 to 2019). Dairy is the top category, followed by Baby & Toddlers and Sports Nutrition. Notably, Sports Nutrition is the fastest-growing category, with a CAGR of 25 percent (2015 to 2019)

Immunity claims on the rise
COVID-19 has created a newfound urgency around regulating immune health claims. 

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumer health is in the spotlight like never before. Immunity has been a prominent factor, with the pandemic focalizing the need for stricter controls around claims. In spring, the US state of Oregon adopted stricter measures to crack down on products featuring unsubstantiated claims about COVID-19, while the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to warn companies for these practices on a regular basis.

According to Innova Market Insights, immune health, alongside energy or alertness, is one of the fastest-growing active health claims, with a global CAGR of 17 percent (2015 to 2019). Following closely behind is bone health, which has a CAGR of 16 percent (2015 to 2019). Currently, the top active health claims for new global launches are for digestive or gut health, followed by energy or alertness, and fortified with vitamins or minerals. 

Kerry is tapping into some of these areas with its Wellmune and GanedenBC30 ingredients. “Wellmune is a proprietary baker’s yeast beta 1,3/1,6 glucan that can help support general immune health, and GanedenBC30 is a leading spore-forming probiotic,” states Quilter. 

Over a dozen clinical studies demonstrate that Wellmune has been shown to help improve general immune health, maintain overall physical health, protect against the harmful effects of stress, and promote healthy energy levels and mental clarity.

Quilter explains that as with most products, the claims that can be made for Kerry’s ingredients vary according to regional regulations. In the US, for example, the following benefit statements may be appropriate:

Research has shown GanedenBC30 may:

• Support immune health (at 500 million CFUs per day)
• Support digestive health (at 1 billion CFUs per day)
• May support protein utilization (at 1 billion CFUs per day)

Earlier this month, the ingredient obtained three health claims, which allow Australian and New Zealand food manufacturers to claim that products developed with GanedenBC30 aid, support and boost digestive health.

The spokesperson from Lehvoss Nutrition UK also flags that probiotics are a burgeoning area thanks to being backed with “lots of good scientific data.” Earlier this summer, probiotics were in the spotlight as new guidelines from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) stated there was a lack of evidence for their use in digestive diseases. 

However, some industry organizations hit back, arguing that the AGA guidelines “falsely claim that the natural products industry is unregulated, despite being overseen by not one but two federal agencies to protect consumers from false advertising and bad actors.”Consumers should be made aware that claims are based on scientific evidence. 

Are changes to claim regulation coming?
Reflecting on changes in the health claim space, Ten Hoeve observes a change in claim robustness over the last decade. “Even though health claims still fulfill a marketing function, they are more evidence-based as a result of the regulatory framework which has been put in place to protect consumers. Consumers should be made aware that these claims are not just marketing, but based on scientific evidence.”

Quilter agrees that the research behind a claim is crucial. “The issue is not so much the status of claims themselves, but the amount and quality of scientific research backing them up. Brands that offer clear evidence for their claims are better placed to cut through the noise, and there are signs that this is particularly true in the current climate. Research carried out in April this year found that nearly half of global consumers say they want to hear more information on the benefits of products.”

Meanwhile, Teresita Rudà, Marketing Manager for Lehvoss Nutrition, flags the need for updated legislation in this space, noting that there has been little change since regulation began.

“Although well-meaning, in practice it has led to very few approved health claims. We hope to see a change in the assessment process for health claims in the near future and that it is more appropriate to the industry where we operate. In the meantime, having ingredients with solid scientific evidence is a plus for manufacturers, distributors and finished product brands,” Rudà concludes.

By Katherine Durrell