Claims guidance

Claimed benefits

Claims should be meaningful & based on scientific evidence

A claim is a message that states or suggests that a food has particular characteristics or benefits (e.g. "contains calcium to maintain strong bones" or "lowers cholesterol"). Meaningful claims on foods can act as an important signpost for consumers to help them make healthy choices. As a leader in the global food market, Unilever wants to stand out as a responsible company making meaningful and trustworthy claims. These claims should be substantiated by sound scientific evidence and undergo a strict internal validation procedure that also takes into account if the food promising a health benefit is contributing to a healthy diet.  We will also seek external endorsement for our claims.

Unilever claims policy

The Unilever Food and Health Research Institute works together with innovation teams and our global legal and nutrition networks to ensure that the benefit claims on our products are meaningful to consumers and are underpinned by sound scientific evidence.  It is the Unilever policy to:

• Undertake the scientific research necessary to provide evidence for the benefit claims on our products;
• Develop superior consumer understanding to enable us to make meaningful claims;
• Seek endorsement from external experts and authoritative bodies (e.g. World Heart Foundation, national nutrition boards) for our claims;
• Develop nutritious products that fit into a balanced diet and that form a sound basis for benefit claims;
• Ensure that our claims comply with regulations.