Birthday gifts: Vitamins celebrate centenary with EU health claim wins

There may be a ‘so what?’ question here. A century is a long time in science, and so vitamins have long since won their status as ‘super nutrients’ as vitamin research has mounted in the wake of Polish biochemist, Casimir Funk’s pioneering work that led to the first naming of a vitamin in 1912.

But in the context of the new claims environment in the EU that has denied claims to so many nutrients from carotenoids to probiotics, the affirmation and writing into law of health claims for almost every vitamin form has a clear business takeaway.

Blend games​

If your enterprise wishes to continue making claims on products containing claim-prohibited nutrients, blend in a claim-backed vitamin that requires only 15% of its recommended daily allowance (RDA).

Already engaged in the practice? Arla, Danone, Valio, Glaxo SmithKline (Ribena)…

Vitamins aren’t the only winners – but vitamins have performed better than most, and are also presenting new marketing opportunities to whole foods that happen to be high in particular vitamins.

Milk is high in vitamin B2 so is ripe for use of vitamin B2-eyesight claim. A mushroom campaign is already utilising the claim. Want to sex up your fruit or vegetable marketing? Best closely examine its vitamin-nutrient profile – you might be surprised at what your humble produce is capable of.

Click here for a full list of available claims from the fully searchable European Commission official register of claims.​

The register contains both approved and non-approved claims.