Navigating Nutrition Claims: A Comparison of China with Australia and New Zealand

Nutrition and health claims in food labels or advertisements are known to significantly impact consumers' perception of the healthfulness of products and influence their food purchasing decisions. When it comes to nutrition claims, Australia and New Zealand have nutrition content claim, comparing to China's nutrition claims which consist of nutrient content claims and nutrient comparative claims. It is important to note that the classification mentioned in this article does not include claims related to health supplements. This article compares the regulations governing nutrition claims in Australia and New Zealand with those in China.

The definitions of nutrition claims are generally similar in the three countries.

Nutrition claims are similarly defined as claims about the nutritional properties of food in China, Australia and New Zealand. In China, nutrition claims are categorized as nutrient content claims like “high protein” or “low fat” and nutrient comparative claims like “reduced fat”. In Australia and New Zealand, comparative claims are part of nutrition content claims, instead of being defined as a separate classification. When a nutrition content claim is in comparison with a reference food with descriptor such as “reduced” or “increased”, it may be a comparative claim.

Besides, in China, Australia, and New Zealand, in addition to energy and the core mandatory nutrients about which a nutrition claim is made, the information of any nutrient must also be shown on the nutrition information panel. In Australia and New Zealand, the mandatory nutrient information includes the name and the average quantity. In China, the information includes the name and content of the nutrient, as well as the percentage of Nutrient Reference Value (NRV).

In line with Australia and New Zealand's regulatory landscape, nutrition content claims can be extended to bioactive compounds like probiotics and antioxidants. The key stipulation is that the specified 'bioactive' compound must be quantified within the nutrition information panel to support the claim. In a similar vein, China's GB 7718 stipulates that if the labeling of a food product emphasizes certain valuable or distinguishing ingredients, there must be a declaration of the quantity of these highlighted ingredients — either as added or as present in the final product.

The Food Standards Code in Australia and New Zealand has a longer list of food properties than GB 28050 of China.

In Australia and New Zealand, nutrition claim conditions can be found in Schedule 4 Nutrition, health and related claims of the Food Standards Code developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). In China, the major regulatory reference is GB 28050.

As shown in the figure below, FSANZ and the Chinese authority both list general food properties such as energy, fat, dietary fiber, protein, carbohydrate or sugars, salt or sodium, vitamins and minerals. But there are more properties of food listed in ANZ's Food Standard Code, such as gluten, glycaemic index and omega fatty acids. In addition, in Australia and New Zealand, potassium is listed separately, whereas in China, it is included under the mineral category.

However, the consulted GB 28050 proposes the inclusion of more food properties for content claims, including omega-3 fatty acids. Detailed interpretation of the draft can be found in the chemlinked news.

Australia, New Zealand and China have restrictions to infant formula products in the use of nutrition claims.

In Australia and New Zealand, a nutrition content claim must not be made about an infant formula product. In China, nutrition content claims should not be made regarding necessary ingredients in infant formula for infants aged 0 to 6 months.

FSANZ specifies clear regulations on “no added sugar” claims.

In the Food Standards Code, FSANZ clearly defines the concept of “added sugar”. According to the Code, it is not permitted to make “no added sugar(s)” claims when a food is an “added sugar”, contain an “added sugar” as an added ingredient, or if the total sugar content exceeds a specified amount. The above regulations take effect from December 13, 2023 with a four-year transition period granted by FSANZ. Interpretation of the regulations can be found in the chemlinked news.

In China, there are currently no restrictions on “no added sugar” claims. However, the relevant authorities in China are taking measures to address the confusion surrounding such claims. The consultation draft of GB 7718 proposes prohibiting the use of phrases like "not add," or similar wording in such claims. Detailed interpretation of the GB 7718 draft can be found in the chemlinked news.

Australia, New Zealand, and China have specific nutrition claim requirements for certain food types.

In Australia and New Zealand, certain food types like infant foods, formulated meal replacements, and formulated supplementary foods have specific conditions for making nutrition content claims, different from regular food products.

In China, prepackaged foods intended for special dietary purposes, such as infant formula, supplementary foods for infants and young children, foods for special medical purposes (FSMP), and sports nutrition foods, have distinct requirements for nutrition claims compared to regular prepackaged food. These products cannot have nutrient comparative claims, and can only have content claims if the energy or nutritional ingredients meet the minimum values or allowable levels specified in the corresponding product standards. The content claims may contain words like "contain," "provide," "source," "include," or "have".

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