"Promotes Brain Health” Claim Challenged

A children’s brain health applesauce product received a National Advertising Division inquiry for cognitive and immune-related claims. This is an important reminder that claims, even if not high-risk, should always be substantiated.

Learn more about my weekly post, and sign up here.

Here’s what we can learn.

Action words like “promote” can increase the type of substantiation needed. Here, it seems that NAD implies a difference between “promotes brain health” and making statements about supporting brain health. For statements related to the brain or immunity, I suggest replacing action words like “enhance” and “increase” with “support.”

👉From NAD. “NAD found that in context, the “promotes brain health” claim conveyed a message that the applesauce provided important cognitive benefits beyond simply supporting brain health. Given the gap between the strength of the DHA in the applesauce and that tested in the underlying studies, NAD concluded that the cognitive benefits message was not supported.”

NAD also recommended that the company remove the “clean ingredients” claim, which was likely due to unnatural ingredients such as citric acid and ascorbic acid. This may have done the company a favor, as any type of “clean” or “pure” are easy lawsuit targets. Also, this product appears to have a Clean Label Project Certified seal, which shows that certifications should be used with caution.

Read the NAD case decision.

DATE ORIGINALLY POSTED: 1/29/25

Disclaimer: The educational information provided here is for informational purposes only. Contact an attorney for specific legal advice. Rule #1 in compliance is to ensure marketing is truthful and not misleading.