Health claims for supplements: the GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register explained

What you will learn from this post

• What is the GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register, and who does it apply to?
• What's the difference between a nutrition claim, a specific health claim and a general health claim?
• Why did the ASA rule against Huel and Whitworths in September 2026?
• How do you check a supplement or food ad before it goes live?

One list decides what you can say

If you sell food, drink or supplements in Great Britain, any claim that links your product to health has to be authorised on one list: the GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register.

It's a closed list. If a claim isn't on it, or doesn't mean the same thing to consumers as one that is, you can't make it, however good your evidence is. Scientific studies, customer reviews and a claim that's legal in another country don't count.

The ASA enforces this through section 15 of the CAP Code. It covers marketing in every channel: websites, social posts, paid ads, influencer content and even what a founder says in a podcast clip.

Lesson: true isn't the test. Authorised is.

The three kinds of claim

Nutrition claims

These describe what's in the product: "high in protein", "source of fibre", "low sugar". Each one has conditions. For example, you can only call a supplement a source of a vitamin if a daily dose contains a significant amount of it, generally at least 15% of the nutrient reference value.

Specific health claims

These link a nutrient to a body function. "Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system" is a typical authorised example. The claim belongs to the nutrient, not your product, so your product has to contain enough of that nutrient to use it.

You can adapt the wording a little, but the meaning must stay the same. In one ruling, a brand dropped the words "contributes to" and promised a "reduction in tiredness and fatigue" on its own. The ASA said that exaggerated the authorised claim.

General health claims

These are vague health benefits: "supports wellbeing", "good for you", "everything your body needs". CAP Code rule 15.2 says they're only allowed if they're accompanied by a relevant authorised specific health claim.

Lesson: a vague claim needs a specific one to stand on.

Ruling 1: "everything that you do need" (Huel, September 2026)

A video on Huel's Instagram, also run as a YouTube pre-roll ad, showed Spencer Matthews telling founder Julian Hearn about a man at the Amazon Ultra who only ate Huel and won by miles.

The ASA found three problems. The ultramarathon story implied a link between Huel and endurance, which is a specific health claim with no authorised wording behind it. The line "gives you everything that you do need" was a general health claim with no specific claim to support it. And the ads suggested that replacing all food with Huel was fine, which broke the social responsibility rule.

Lesson: anecdotes make claims too. We break this one down in how a race story got Huel in trouble.

Ruling 2: "Eat nuts. Live longer" (Whitworths, September 2026)

A Whitworths Instagram carousel in May 2026 showed its London billboards, with lines like "Eat pecans. Live longer" and "Eat nuts. Live longer", alongside messages about cholesterol and heart disease.

The ASA ruled that consumers would read the ads as saying nuts improve health and extend life. That's a health claim, and none of it was authorised. The cholesterol and heart messages went further, implying nuts could reduce the risk of disease, which is only allowed for the handful of disease risk reduction claims on the register.

The research on nuts may well be good. It didn't matter.

Lesson: a campaign line can be a health claim, even when it sounds like a slogan.

Ruling 3: borrowing someone else's claim (Exhale Coffee, July 2026)

Exhale Coffee's Instagram ad said its coffee could protect DNA, slow cellular ageing and support gut and brain health. When challenged, Exhale pointed to an authorised claim for olive oil polyphenols.

The ASA said no. An authorised claim applies to the specific substance and conditions on the register. It can't be carried across to a different food, even when that food contains the same type of nutrient.

Lesson: check the claim fits your product, not just the ingredient family.

The grey areas

• Botanicals. Many claims for plant ingredients, such as ashwagandha or turmeric, are still "on hold" and haven't been assessed. Some can be used under transitional rules, but the ASA still expects careful wording and evidence. Take advice before relying on one.
• Trending ingredients. Lion's mane and many mushroom blends have no authorised health claims at all. Saffron has none either, though some of its claims are on hold.
• Weight loss. Weight-loss claims are health claims, and you can't refer to a rate or amount of weight lost. See our guide to weight-loss advertising.
• Disease. A food or supplement can't claim to prevent, treat or cure a disease, apart from the few authorised reduction-of-disease-risk claims on the register. That's where a health claim becomes a medicinal claim, which we cover in health claims vs medicinal claims.

Supplement health claims checklist

• List every claim in the ad, including images, slogans, captions, testimonials and on-screen text.
• Check each health claim against the GB register, not the EU register or a US label.
• Make sure your product meets the conditions of use, such as the minimum amount of the nutrient per daily dose.
• Keep the authorised meaning. Don't drop "contributes to" or turn "normal function" into "boost".
• Put an authorised specific claim next to any general health claim.
• Remove anything that hints at preventing, treating or curing illness.
• Brief founders, influencers and agencies. Their posts count as your ads.
• Check landing pages and product listings, not just the ad itself.

The register is strict, but it's also predictable. If every claim maps to an authorised line, worded the approved way, you're on solid ground with the ASA.