Icelanders are taking part in a comprehensive pan-Nordic survey of people's attitudes in Europe towards health claims on food. The results of the survey will be used in connection with a new regulation on health claims in food that is currently coming into force within the European Union. Matís (Icelandic Food Research) is conducting another survey in Iceland.
The survey, which is electronic and funded by the so-called NICe fund, covers about 2,500 people in Iceland. It has been decided to extend the deadline for people to submit answers until mid-July due to the pressure that has arisen due to the great interest of people in Europe in participating in the survey on the Internet.
There is a growing trend for food to be labeled with so-called health claims. There may be claims about the nutritional content of foods, such as low-fat, cholesterol-free, low-calorie, and the effects of consuming individual foods on the health of consumers. The aim of the survey is to examine people's attitudes towards health claims and how they understand different health claims on food.
The results of the survey will be presented in all countries, as well as food companies, consumer organizations and authorities. It is not clear when the survey will take effect in Iceland, but assertions are still being collected that go on the so-called positive list of the regulation, ie. list of permissible assertions.