Zinc: 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

Zinc has eighteen 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. All eighteen may be used on any food, drink or food supplement that is at least a "source of" zinc: 1.5 mg or more per 100 g of a food, 0.75 mg per 100 ml of a drink, or 1.5 mg or more in the daily dose of a supplement, each being 15% of the 10 mg nutrient reference value. "High in zinc" needs twice the source level, 3 mg per 100 g. Seven further wordings for zinc were assessed and not authorised; they are listed lower down with the register's reasons.

The eighteen wordings reach into more parts of the body than most register headings. Five are about metabolism: acid-base, carbohydrate, macronutrient and fatty acid metabolism and the metabolism of vitamin A. Three are cell-level roles: normal DNA synthesis, normal protein synthesis and the process of cell division. Four name tissues: the maintenance of normal bones, hair, nails and skin. Four are functions: normal cognitive function, normal fertility and reproduction, the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood and the maintenance of normal vision. The last two are the normal function of the immune system and the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Every one may be used at the "source of" level, so a food or supplement that qualifies for one zinc claim qualifies for all eighteen; which it carries is a choice about relevance to the product, not a further legal test.

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 Zinc: 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 minerals 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: Zinc, listed on the minerals page of the register.
• Status: Authorised for use in Great Britain.
• Authorised health claims: 18, all under Article 13(1), authorised by Commission Regulation (EU) 432/2012. All share the standard "source of" condition.
• Nutrient reference value: 10 mg (Regulation 1169/2011, Annex XIII).
• "Source of" zinc: 1.5 mg per 100 g of a food, 0.75 mg per 100 ml of a drink, or 1.5 mg in the daily dose of a supplement (15% of the reference value).
• "High in": 3 mg per 100 g, 1.5 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):1229; EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1819.
• Assessed, not authorised: seven 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 zinc

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 "Zinc contributes to normal DNA synthesis", or a close equivalent that keeps the same meaning for the shopper, such as "Zinc supports normal DNA synthesis". Phrases that go beyond the register for this heading include "boosts immunity" or "fights colds and flu", "builds strong bones", "prevents osteoporosis" or "stops tooth decay", "anti-ageing", "clears skin" or "makes hair grow", and any reference to preventing or treating a disease. The claim belongs to Zinc 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 zinc 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 (1.5 mg) and the claims in the table may be used; 30% or more (3 mg) and the pack may also say "high in zinc". For a food the figures are given per 100 g or per 100 ml, and the thresholds are 1.5 mg and 3 mg per 100 g (0.75 mg and 1.5 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 zinc 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 zinc 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 10 mg reference value and the 15% rule come from. For zinc: "source of" is 1.5 mg per 100 g (0.75 mg per 100 ml of a drink, 1.5 mg in a supplement's daily dose) and "high in" is 3 mg per 100 g (1.5 mg per 100 ml of a drink).

Not authorised for zinc

The register records seven wordings under the Zinc 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 zinc 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.

Headings that begin with the same word but are separate register entries, with their own assessed wordings, stay on the non-authorised pages: Zinc carnosine. Combination products whose heading lists zinc among several ingredients are also listed under their own headings there.

Frequently asked questions

Can a label say zinc boosts testosterone?

No. The authorised wording is "Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood", at the "source of" level. "Boosts", "raises" or "increases" testosterone promises more than the assessed effect, which is the maintenance of a normal level, and is not an equivalent wording.

Is "zinc for a healthy prostate" allowed?

No. "Zinc for a healthy prostate / Zinc helps to maintain a healthy prostate" was assessed and not authorised (register entry 307), as were the wordings on joints, the cardiovascular system and muscular performance listed in the lower table. A refused wording may not be reworded into use.

How much zinc does a supplement need to carry a claim?

At least 1.5 mg of zinc in the daily dose recommended on the label, which is 15% of the 10 mg nutrient reference value. A food needs 1.5 mg per 100 g, or 0.75 mg per 100 ml for a drink; "high in zinc" needs 3 mg per 100 g.

Can a product carry all eighteen zinc claims at once?

Nothing in the conditions prevents it, since every zinc claim shares the same "source of" condition, but each wording used must appear as authorised or in an equivalent form, and the general rules still apply: the claim is about the product as sold, it belongs to zinc rather than to the product as a whole, and nothing may be added that implies a disease is prevented or treated.

Why does a boron wording appear under zinc?

Because the register records it there: entry 308, "Boron supports a healthy thyroid function", sits under the zinc heading in the official spreadsheet with the reason for non-authorisation. It is reproduced here as the register files it, so that this page carries the whole zinc entry; it is not a claim about zinc.

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.
• Zinc on the register's minerals page, with the other minerals 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 zinc 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 Zinc Good For? What It Does, How Much You Need and the Trials, which explains the evidence behind zinc in plain terms.

How to cite this page: Wellgard Scientific Editorial Team. Zinc: authorised health claims in Great Britain (reproduction of the DHSC register, version 19 May 2026). wellgard.co.uk/pages/gb-health-claims-zinc, 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.