As part of proposed harmonisation of European food law the European Commission released directive (2003) 424. This related to proposed regulation of Nutrition and Health Claims Made on Foods. Alimentarius were approached by the sports nutrition company Maximuscle to review the directive and provide feedback. As a founder member of the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) Maximuscle requested that the report specifically addressed the potential impact for its own business, the sports supplement industry in general and consumers. Alimentarius identified two areas of particular concern for ESSNA members, which fell under Article 11 (Prohibited Health Claims) and Article 12 (Generally accepted claims). The feedback from Alimentarius was used to help overturn the Article 11 proposal to prohibit products from carrying claims relating to weight and fat loss. Our feedback relating to article 12 helped to ensure flexibility in health claim wording on pack and in advertising. This meant manufacturers of sports supplements could communicate the benefits of their products effectively, while consumers could easily identify products with the benefits and characteristics they were looking for.
Author: robchild@alimentarius.eu
Health claim substantiation
A major European supplement brand ran a high profile advertising campaign in the mainstream press. This focused on promoting the company and its newly extended supplement range. As the company had a long established relationship with an advertising agency they used them to prepare some of the adverts with the majority being prepared by Alimentarius. Both set of adverts made a range of marketing claims some of which were challenged by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Unlike Alimentarius, the advertising agency did not have evidence to support the claims in their marketing. This resulted in these adverts being pulled, an adjudication against our client by the ASA, and resulting in damage to the brand and consumer confidence.
Specialist magazine advertising
A major European supplement brand ran a high profile advertising campaign in the mainstream press. This focused on promoting the company and its newly extended supplement range. As the company had a long established relationship with an advertising agency they used them to prepare adverts for several specialist magazines. Unfortunately the adverts did not generate significant sales as the advertising agency failed to capture consumer interest and then translate this into sales. The supplement brand then approached Alimentarius to prepare a range of adverts to promote both the brand and its products. Alimentarius has longstanding experience in specialist nutrition markets and selected the health claims with the greatest consume appeal for our clients specialist market. These adverts prepared by Alimentarius had significant consumer appeal and resulted in immediate increases in sales which was sustained by repeat purchases. The advertising we developed also helped enhance the quality of the brand with consumers, making it easier to successfully launch new products.
Holland & Barrett – fat loss supplements
A major US based supplement manufacturer wanted to sell its premium fat loss product in Holland and Barrett stores. With more than 600 shops this is the UK biggest specialist health food retailer, who also own GNC stores. Many fat loss supplements are often marketed using false or misleading advertising claims. To help protect consumers Holland & Barrett assess the scientific evidence to support each products marketing claims and efficacy. Alimentarius prepared the health claim substantiation dossier to support the claims used on our clients product. This carried specific weight management claims related to weight loss, fat loss and fat burning. After review by Holland & Barrett our clients product successfully obtained a retail listing in their stores.
Health claims – Use in all media
A major UK online supplement retailer was under increasing commercial pressure from competitors and wanted to maintain both sales and brand profile. Their product range included vitamins, minerals, protein powders, energy supplements and botanicals. They approached a nutrition consultancy firm to assess the possibility of using health claims to help promote their products, but were advised ‘this was not possible’. The company then approached Alimentarius and after careful evaluation of the companies’ products it was clear that the most of their product range could in fact carry health claims. We provided our clients with a selection of consumer friendly claims for their products. These were incorporated onto product packaging, iinto company catalogues, magazine advertising, point of sale material and website and resulted in significant sales increases. Despite the absence of health claims on some products these also showed an up-lift in sales. This was partially caused by the ‘halo’ effect of products with health claims and the perceived improvement in brand quality. The sales increases were used to consolidate our clients position in the UK market and provided a platform to increase sales within the EU.
Boots – Fat loss supplement
A US based supplement manufacturer wanted to sell its premium fat loss supplement in the high street retailer Boots. This is the most popular chemist in the UK and in addition to prescriptions they sell a range of health and beauty products, which include fat loss supplements. The use of false and misleading advertising claims on health and beauty products is common, particularly for fat loss supplements. Boots are unusual as prior to obtaining a retail listing their experts assess the evidence to support each products marketing claims. Boots internal experts also take steps to asses the efficacy of the weight management products stocked. Alimentarius prepared the dossier of scientific evidence to support the marketing claims on our clients fat loss supplement. The dossier Alimentarius prepared included support claims for weight management, fat loss and fat burning. After review by Boots’s expert team our clients product successfully obtained a retail listing in their stores.
Men’s Health – Expert opinion
In the UK, Men’s Health is the number one online magazine for men. This covers a range of popular topics including health, fitness, training and supplement advice. As nutrition experts and supplement specialists Alimentarius were approached by Men’s Health magazine to provide expert advice to the readers. We provided science based editorial comment on a range of food products, exercise training and dietary supplements. The positive response from the readers led to a column called ‘Supplement sleuth’. This translated current scientific research on supplements into practical advice for Men’s Health readers.
Food Ingredients First – Fat loss supplements
In Europe, the publication Food Ingredients First (FIF) provides the most up to date information for the food industry. It covers a variety of topics including raw ingredients, food and beverage innovations, ingredient applications, market trends, functional food packaging and news. Alimentarius were commissioned to write contemporary scientific articles on a variety of food related topics. These included ‘Fat loss supplements’, ‘Functional food packaging’, ‘Sport nutrition’, ‘Antioxidants’, ‘Beta-alanine’, ‘Health claims’, ‘The science of recovery’ ‘Nanotechnology’, ‘Probiotics and cultures’ and ‘Protein innovation’. Each article critically reviewed contemporary science and focused on practical its applications in functional foods.
Innova database – Dairy proteins
The Innova database enables subscribers to monitor competitor activity, explore active areas of functional food launches, identify product trends and has been described as ‘the ultimate resource for generating new product ideas’. Covering the full spectrum of functional food ingredients, Alimentarius were invited to provide scientific articles on dairy proteins. These covered the following areas:-
‘The role of dairy proteins and appetite regulation’
‘Application of dairy proteins for fat loss’
‘Improving human immunity with whey proteins’
Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals (FFN)
Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals (FFN) is the only publication in the sector to deliver market intelligence from correspondents on the ground in different international locations. All news and feature articles are written by expert writers and independent journalists. With offices located in both Europe and the US, this publication has its finger on the pulse of all major marketing and legislative developments and emerging technologies. It delivers reliable, science-based editorial that readers trust. Alimentarius provide expertise in translating the very latest scientific findings into commercial applications in functional foods. Our expertise was recognized by FFN and we provided a range articles on foods and supplements relating to fat loss, immune function and health. These included :-
‘The whey forward: Science update’
‘Application of whey protein as a functional food for appetite control: contemporary perspectives’
‘Amino acids aid in gut function- marketing applications’
‘Joint pain and supplements’