Final Report

JHCI has concluded its deliberations on a generic health claim for for LC n-3 PUFA and heart health. The claim may now be applied to appropriate foods under the conditions set out in the following report.

Points to Note:

1. The claim relates only to very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (of chain length 20 carbons or above) including EPA, DPA and DHA (i.e. 20:3n-3, 20:4n-3, 20:5n-3, 22:5n-3 and 22:6n-3), and not all long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as alpha-linolenic acid (i.e. 18:3n-3 and 18:4n-3). The ratio of EPA and DHA should reflect that which occurs naturally in oily fish.

2. Products carrying the claim should:

1. Include the statement: ‘The Government advises that at least 2 servings of fish, one of which should be oily, containing approximately 3g LC n-3 PUFA, is consumed each week’.

2. For fortified foods and supplements, inform consumers that oil-rich fish is an alternative source of LC n-3 PUFA.

3. When a product is presented as a stand alone serving, then each serving must contain no less than 0.2g LC n-3 PUFA.

4. When a product carries a recommendation for a number of portions per day or week then

   1. the total LC n-3 PUFA content of the daily recommendation (daily serving) must be greater than 0.2g.
   2. the total LC n-3 PUFA content of the weekly recommendation (weekly serving) must be greater than 0.5g.

5. Not personalise the claim to the individual, e.g. "provides half your daily needs".

6. State the proportion (i.e. a ‘quarter’, ‘third’, ‘half’ etc) of the 0.45g daily intake, or 3g weekly intake, in each serving or portion.

7. Clarify the distinction between servings of a product and portions of oily fish.

8. Clarify to consumers when products have been fortified with LC n-3 PUFA and make clear to consumers the origin of the oil.

9. Products containing significant amounts of contaminants (identified by the SACN/COT Inter-Committee Subgroup to be marlin, swordfish, shark and, to a lesser extent, tuna) carrying the claim should also carry a warning for pregnant women and children.

3. The JHCI Code states that health claims that could encourage high levels of consumption must not be made for any substances where there is evidence that high intakes of the food or substance could be harmful or unlikely to contribute to a healthy diet (refer section 6.2.16). JHCI advises that products carrying the claim should make a positive contribution to healthy eating. Products high in saturated fatty acids, salt, sugar etc should therefore not be promoted on this basis.

4. The JHCI strongly recommends that companies seek advice from the Secretariat before using this claim to help ensure that the food product is consistent with good nutrition principles and complies with the JHCI Code of Practice for Health Claims on Food.

5. The wording of the claim has been carefully formulated to reflect the evidence on which the claim has been approved. Wording may be altered, in consultation with the JHCI, as long as the claim does not imply health benefits beyond the scope of the evidence change the meaning of the claim; or, confuse consumers.

Nutrient content claims

Approval of the use of nutrient content claims on food labels is beyond the remit of JHCI, therefore appropriate legal advice must be sought by those wishing to use such claims. However, the JHCI Expert Committee considered, from a scientific basis, that nutrient content claims could be substantiated as follows and recommended that it be made clear to consumers when these claims were in relation to the daily amount or weekly amount:

Based on a weekly intake amount:

• ‘A good source of the weekly intake’ = at least 1/6th of 3g LC n-3 PUFA per week
• ‘A rich source of the weekly intake’ = at least 1/2 of 3g LC n-3 PUFA per week

Based on a daily intake amount:

• ‘A rich source of the daily intake’ = at least 1/2 of 0.45g LC n-3 PUFA per day

NB: Quantification of nutrient content claims should be reported to the nearest 0.1g/100g, so not to imply a higher level of precision than exists.

JHCI Omega-3 Dossier (pdf)

JHCI Omega -3 Resubmission:

September 2004 (pdf)

November 2004 (pdf)