This document is provided to assist food businesses wishing to establish a relationship between a food or property of food and a health effect (food-health relationship) by a process of systematic review for the purpose of making a general level health claim.
All the requirements for making a general level health claim on a food label or in an advertisement are set out in Standard 1.2.7 - Nutrition, Health and Related Claims in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (code).
Food businesses wishing to make a general level health claim can base their claim on a food-health relationship that is either:
- pre-approved by FSANZ as listed in Schedule 4, or
- established in accordance with requirements set out in Schedule 6 of the Code.
This document outlines scientific best practice for undertaking a systematic review as described in Schedule 6 (required elements of a systematic review).
Note that food businesses wishing to seek pre-approval for a food-health relationship underpinning either a high level or general level health claim (for inclusion in Standard 1.2.7) must follow the requirements for an application to FSANZ given in the Application Handbook.
High level health claims must be based on a food-health relationship that has been pre-approved by FSANZ and included in Schedule 4 of the Code.
More information
- Nutrition, health and related claims (information for industry)
- Read Getting Your Claims Right - a guide to to complying with the Nutrition, Health and Related Claims Standard.
- Notifying a self-substantiated food-health relationship
