ERS is a primary source 

of economic research and 

analysis from the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 

providing timely information on economic and policy 

issues related to agriculture, 

food, the environment,

and rural America. www.ers.usda.gov

United States Department of Agriculture

A report summary from the Economic Research Service February 2013

Find the full report at 

http://www.ers.usda.

gov/publications/eibeconomic-information-bulletin/eib-108.

aspx

What Is the Issue?

Voluntary health- and nutrition-related claims by food companies were present on 43.1 percent 

of new products introduced in 2010. Health- and nutrition-related claims such as “low fat,” “low 

cholesterol,” or “high fiber” potentially influence consumer purchases and can lead companies to 

reformulate their less healthy products to qualify for the claims; hence, it is important to understand 

food companies’ adoption of these claims.

This study tracks health- and nutrition-related claims on new U.S. food and beverage products from 1989 

to 2010 and delineates the claims by product category and type of claim. Over the 2009 to 2010 period, 

we also evaluate sales and average nutrient content of all new food and beverage products carrying at 

least 1 of the top 10 health- and nutrition-related claims from 2010.

What Did the Study Find?

The percentage of food products making health- and nutrition-related claims fell between 

1989 and 2001, while the number of claims per product increased. The overall percentage 

decrease in claims followed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990, which 

was implemented in 1993/1994. The act made the Nutrition Facts label mandatory and established rules for the use of voluntary health- and nutrition-related claims on food and beverage 

products, such as those related to low/no fat, low/no cholesterol, and high fiber. This suggests that 

the NLEA may have led to reductions in overall claim usage by preventing non-qualifying products from using specific claims. In addition, the number of claims per product increased from 2.0 

in 1989 to 2.2 in 2001. This suggests that the NLEA did not undermine the competitive process, 

but may have contributed to its expansion by establishing a credible means of disclosing health 

and nutritional characteristics. 

From 2001 to 2010, health- and nutrition-related claims became an increasingly important 

feature of new product introductions. Health- and nutrition-related claims per product continued 

to increase, from 2.2 in 2001 to 2.6 in 2010, which suggests that competition between companies 

continued to result in a more complete representation of the health and nutritional attributes of their 

products. A proliferation of new products with claims appealing to weight-conscious consumers over 

2001 to 2010 reflects growing awareness of obesity-related problems and educational campaigns 

targeting obesity. Claims related to gluten, antioxidants, and omega-3 ranked among the leading 

health- and nutrition-related claims by 2010. Growing consumer demand for food products that 

contribute to overall health beyond basic nutrition may have provided manufacturers with incentives 

to supply and promote these products. The largest increase in health- and nutrition-related claims 

over 2001 to 2010 was for “no gluten,” followed by “no trans fats.” The growth in “no trans fats” 

claims came as companies responded to new food labeling regulations that required disclosure of 

Introduction of New Food Products With 

Voluntary Health- and Nutrition-Related 

Claims, 1989-2010

Steve W. Martinez

United States Department of Agriculture

Economic

Research

Service

Economic

Information

Bulletin

Number 108

February 2013

Introduction of New Food 

Products With Voluntary 

Health- and Nutrition-Related 

Claims, 1989-2010

Steve W. Martinez
www.ers.usda.gov

the trans fats content, and public communications that gave prominence to limiting trans fatty acids. For new food 

products introduced in 2009 and 2010, sales and nutritional quality of those products carrying health- and nutritionrelated claims exceeded that of all new food products.

How Was the Study Conducted?

This report relies primarily on data from the Product Launch Analytics database, developed by the Datamonitor Group. 

We used the database to track new products carrying health- and nutrition-related claims from 1989 to 2010. Datamonitor’s 

field research team collected information across 20 elements for each new product in the database, including brand, 

product category (e.g., snacks, cereal, and dairy), package size, ingredients, and most common marketing messages or 

claims made on packages. The team also provided a qualitative product description. We used Mintel’s Global New Product 

Database (Mintel GNPD) to compare the nutritional profile of new products with health- and nutrition-related claims to 

all new products over 2009 to 2010. We used data provided through a partnership between Mintel and Symphony IRI 

(formerly Information Resources, Inc., or IRI) to compare sales of new products in Mintel GNPD over the same period.