The EU-funded project kicks off a four-year odyssey into the mostly unknown territory of consumer understanding of health claims this week today – with the goal of developing long term strategies and guidelines of how to use EU approved health claims on food products.
The CLYMBOL (‘Role of health-related claims and symbols in consumer behaviour’) project aims to shed new light on how consumers interpret health information on food labels, and how this affects their purchasing and consumption behaviour.
Speaking with this publication Professor Dr Klaus Grunert, scientific advisor to the project, explained that there is currently a lack of research focus on the way in which health claims and health symbols affect consumers.
“Health claims and symbols are aids to help consumers identify foods that are healthier options, but we know little on how they impact consumer behaviour,” said Grunert. “We have had all this debate about health claims, but is has all been about the scientific substantiation of the health effects.”
“In the legislation – of course – it also says that it has to be understandable by consumers – and nobody has really dealt with what that means or how to check that,” he said.
Grunert explained that the project aims to achieve a better understanding of how consumers are affected by health claims and symbols in their context on food packages, in order to formulate guidelines “partly for public policy but also for the food industry so that they can formulate health claims and symbols in such a way that they are to the benefit of both consumers and the industry.”
Understanding
The research team will create a set of methodologies to measure the role of health claims and symbols in consumer behaviour, drawing on the latest developments in cognitive and behavioural science.
“We will start by looking at the history of health claims in different countries in the EU, and at different types of health claims and symbols,” said Grunert, who explained that the team will then use that information to develop methodologies “for finding out how to measure the three main areas that we want to look at, namely: consumer understanding, its effect on purchases, and the effect on consumption and food intake.”
“We will look at methodologies and test them against each other,” Grunert. “Not only for our own benefit but also as something we can hand over to stakeholders in the sector. Because we believe that the industry on one hand and the regulatory authorities on the other hand do need some methods that they can use to check the requirements.”
The advisor said the project aims to derive in depth knowledge, “not least about the interaction about those three.”
“Because I think that is another thing that has been very neglected in the debate in health claims.”
“The health claim on a product is always in a context, and that involves all the other information on a product, in terms of other information on the labels, the branding, the pictures used,” said Grunert. “It’s all of these things together that have an effect on the consumer.”
“We need to look not just at health claims and health symbols in isolation, but look at how these claims and symbols and other context on the package affect understanding purchasing and consumption.”
(vasep.com.vn) VASEP has officially announced the program for Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026), featuring five in-depth sessions covering industry outlooks, trade barriers, buyer demand, the domestic market, and solutions to improve productivity and reduce costs across the seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.7 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 11% year on year. Although growth has been supported by China and several markets within the CPTPP, momentum is slowing as exports to the United States and the European Union decline. Tariff pressures, international competition, and raw material challenges are creating significant hurdles for exporters in the final months of the year.
(vasep.com.vn) Markets are changing faster, buyer requirements are becoming more demanding, and trade barriers are growing increasingly complex. In this environment, seafood businesses need more than an understanding of current market conditions. They need a longer-term perspective to answer a critical question: Where will growth opportunities come from in 2027–2029, and what should businesses do now to prepare? This is one of the key reasons why VASEP is organizing Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East reached US$113 million, up 7% year on year from the same period in 2025. Growth has become more pronounced in recent months. In August alone, exports to the region totaled US$20 million, an increase of 24%. This indicates that demand for Vietnamese pangasius in the Middle East is gradually recovering after a slowdown in March, although the pace of recovery varies across markets.
(vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports continued to grow strongly in 2026, while Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the market also recorded notable growth. However, behind these positive figures lie two distinct trends: Chinese consumption is growing more slowly than imports, and lobster accounts for a substantial share of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to China, making its product mix significantly different from those of Ecuador and India. Exporters therefore need to assess each segment carefully to understand the opportunities and risks.
(vasep.com.vn) Changing markets, shifting buyer demand, and increasingly complex trade barriers are raising a key question for Vietnam’s seafood industry: Where will the new growth opportunities lie in 2027–2029?
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As of the end of August 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the United States reached $21 million, representing a steep 48% year-over-year decline and accounting for 23% of the country's total tilapia export turnover. Frozen fillets accounted for 78% with the remainder consisting of whole frozen tilapia and frozen cuts.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a volatile first half of the year, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to Brazil registered robust growth in July and August 2026. In August alone, export turnover reached $19 million, surging 73% compared to the same period in 2025. Cumulatively for the first eight months, total export value reached $124 million, reflecting an 8% year-over-year increase.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Besides modifying their boats, many fishermen in Dak Lak province are making efforts to venture out to sea to harvest seafood during the rough sea season.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) At the Responsible Seafood Summit and TCRS Shrimp Summit 2026, organized by the GSA (Global Seafood Alliance) in Bangkok, Thailand, the conversation about the future of the shrimp industry began with one of its most important foundations: seedstock quality.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn