Vitamin C: authorised health claims in Great Britain

Compiled and maintained by the Wellgard Scientific Editorial Team · Official register version: 19 May 2026 · Page updated: 17 October 2026 · Sources checked on: 16 October 2026

Vitamin C has fifteen authorised health claims on the Great Britain nutrition and health claims register, every one of them under Article 13(1) and authorised by Commission Regulation (EU) 432/2012. Fourteen may be used on any food, drink or food supplement that is at least a "source of" vitamin C: 12 mg or more per 100 g of a food, 6 mg per 100 ml of a drink, or 12 mg or more in the daily dose of a supplement, each being 15% of the 80 mg nutrient reference value. The other one has a condition of its own, set out under its row in the table. "High in vitamin C" needs twice the source level, 24 mg per 100 g. Four further wordings for vitamin C were assessed and not authorised; they are listed lower down with the register's reasons.

The fifteen wordings fall into a few groups. Six concern collagen formation, each naming a tissue where collagen does its structural work: blood vessels, bones, cartilage, gums, skin and teeth. The wording is precise: vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of that tissue, so the claim is about the vitamin's role in making collagen, not a promise about the tissue itself. Three cover the immune system and the protection of cells from oxidative stress, including the one claim with its own threshold, immune function during and after intense physical exercise at 200 mg a day. The remaining six cover energy-yielding metabolism, the nervous system, psychological function, tiredness and fatigue, the regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E, and the increase in iron absorption, which is why vitamin C is so often paired with iron in a meal or in a supplement.

This is Wellgard's reproduction and explanation of official data. It is not a government website, a product approval, or a substitute for assessing the applicable law and conditions of use. The GOV.UK register is the authoritative source.

This page draws together everything the register records under the heading Vitamin C: the authorised wordings and their conditions of use, reproduced word for word, and the wordings that were assessed and refused. The same rows appear in their alphabetical place on the vitamins page and the non-authorised page of the register; the glossary, the explanation of how the thresholds are worked out and the full introduction are on the index page. Northern Ireland follows the EU register under the Windsor Framework; this page covers England, Scotland and Wales. The paragraphs, the labels section and the lines beginning "In plain terms" are Wellgard's explanation; register text is confined to the tables.

At a glance

• Register heading: Vitamin C, listed on the vitamins page of the register.
• Status: Authorised for use in Great Britain.
• Authorised health claims: 15, all under Article 13(1), authorised by Commission Regulation (EU) 432/2012. Fourteen share the standard "source of" condition; one has a condition of its own, set out in the table.
• Nutrient reference value: 80 mg (Regulation 1169/2011, Annex XIII).
• "Source of" vitamin C: 12 mg per 100 g of a food, 6 mg per 100 ml of a drink, or 12 mg in the daily dose of a supplement (15% of the reference value).
• "High in": 24 mg per 100 g, 12 mg per 100 ml of a drink, or 30% of the reference value in a supplement's daily dose (twice the "source of" amount).
• Scientific opinions behind the authorised claims: EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1226; EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1815.
• Assessed, not authorised: four wordings under this heading, listed below with the register's reason and on the non-authorised page.
• Register version: Department of Health and Social Care, Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register, release of 19 May 2026.

Authorised health claims for vitamin C

Reading the table: register text in the four columns is reproduced exactly; the "In plain terms" lines and the paragraphs on this page are Wellgard's explanation. Terms such as "source of", "high in" and "nutrient reference value" are defined in the glossary on the index page.

What you will see on labels

What this means on labels: a compliant pack quotes a register wording, for example "Vitamin C contributes to normal psychological function", or a close equivalent that keeps the same meaning for the shopper, such as "Vitamin C supports normal psychological function". Phrases that go beyond the register for this heading include "boosts immunity" or "fights colds and flu", "beats tiredness" or "gives you energy", "builds strong bones", "prevents osteoporosis" or "stops tooth decay", and any reference to preventing or treating a disease. The claim belongs to Vitamin C at the qualifying amount: a pack cannot transfer it to another ingredient or to the product as a whole, and the general rule that a claim is made about the product as sold still applies. Flexibility of wording is explained in the Department of Health and Social Care guidance.

The nutrition declaration on a supplement states the amount of vitamin C in the daily dose and that amount as a percentage of the nutrient reference value, so the "source of" test can be read straight off the pack: 15% or more (12 mg) and the claims in the table may be used; 30% or more (24 mg) and the pack may also say "high in vitamin C". For a food the figures are given per 100 g or per 100 ml, and the thresholds are 12 mg and 24 mg per 100 g (6 mg and 12 mg per 100 ml for a drink), or 15% of the reference value per portion where the pack holds a single portion. Where a product carries a vitamin C claim alongside claims for other nutrients, each nutrient must meet its own threshold; the claim for one cannot be lent to another.

Nutrition claims: "source of" and "high in"

Health claims and nutrition claims are separate lists with separate conditions. The two nutrition claims that apply to vitamin C are the general vitamin and mineral entries of the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, reproduced here as the register records them. The register's condition still refers to Directive 90/496/EEC; the significant amounts now sit in Annex XIII of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, which replaced it, and that is where the 80 mg reference value and the 15% rule come from. For vitamin C: "source of" is 12 mg per 100 g (6 mg per 100 ml of a drink, 12 mg in a supplement's daily dose) and "high in" is 24 mg per 100 g (12 mg per 100 ml of a drink).

Not authorised for vitamin C

The register records four wordings under the Vitamin C heading that were submitted, assessed and not authorised. A refused wording may not be used on a food, drink or food supplement sold in Great Britain, and nor may a wording likely to mean the same to the shopper; flexibility of wording applies to authorised claims only. A refusal is a judgement on a specific wording against a legal test on the evidence assessed at the time, not a finding about vitamin C itself, and it is a different status from "on hold", which means never assessed. Each row links to its entry on the non-authorised page for headings Q to Z.

Frequently asked questions

Can a label say vitamin C fights colds?

No. The authorised wording is "Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system", which may be reworded only so far as the meaning for the shopper stays the same. "Fights colds", "prevents infection" or "boosts immunity" promises more than the assessed effect, and any reference to a disease takes the wording outside the register.

What is the 200 mg exercise claim?

One vitamin C claim has a threshold of its own: "Vitamin C contributes to maintain the normal function of the immune system during and after intense physical exercise" may be used only for a food or supplement whose daily portion gives 200 mg of vitamin C, and the label must say that the benefit comes with a daily intake of 200 mg in addition to the recommended daily intake. The other fourteen claims use the ordinary "source of" level.

How much vitamin C does a supplement need to carry a claim?

At least 12 mg in the daily dose recommended on the label, which is 15% of the 80 mg nutrient reference value. A food needs 12 mg per 100 g, or 6 mg per 100 ml for a drink. "High in vitamin C" needs twice those amounts.

Is the collagen claim a claim about collagen supplements?

No. The six collagen wordings belong to vitamin C: "Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin" (and of blood vessels, bones, cartilage, gums and teeth) describes the vitamin's role in the body's own collagen formation. The claim is made about vitamin C at the qualifying amount and cannot be transferred to another ingredient in the same product.

Is "antioxidant" an authorised claim for vitamin C?

The authorised wording is "Vitamin C contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress". The eye-specific antioxidant wordings that were submitted, on protecting the eye from oxidative and photo-oxidative stress and on free radical scavenging, were assessed and not authorised; they are listed in the lower table with the register's reason.

Sources and related pages

• Department of Health and Social Care, Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register, release of 19 May 2026: the authoritative source for every register string on this page.
• Vitamin C on the register's vitamins page, with the other vitamins in alphabetical order; the index page carries the introduction, the method for the thresholds and the glossary.
• Non-authorised claims, headings Q to Z: the refused wordings for vitamin C in their alphabetical place.
• Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, the list of permitted Article 13(1) claims; Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, Annex (nutrition claims); Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII (nutrient reference values and significant amounts); guidance on flexibility of wording.
• On Health Insiders: What Is Vitamin C Good For? UK Dose, Deficiency Signs and Colds, which explains the evidence behind vitamin C in plain terms.

How to cite this page: Wellgard Scientific Editorial Team. Vitamin C: authorised health claims in Great Britain (reproduction of the DHSC register, version 19 May 2026). wellgard.co.uk/pages/gb-health-claims-vitamin-c, accessed [date you viewed the page]. Original: Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register, updated 19 May 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/great-britain-nutrition-and-health-claims-nhc-register

Corrections

This page is updated whenever gov.uk releases a new version of the register, and the version line at the top says which release it reflects. If you find a wording or condition that differs from the register, or an entry that is missing, email support@wellgard.co.uk with the heading and the entry number and we will check it against the source file and correct the page.

Version history: 19 May 2026 release of the register, carried on this page from 17 October 2026.

Register text is Crown copyright, reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Wellgard's explanatory text, glossary and summaries are Wellgard's own. Published by Wellgard, a trading name of Bayagan Group Ltd.