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) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in collaboration with the Agency for Domestic Market Management and Development under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, will organize the Domestic Seafood Supply–Demand Matching Program on the morning of August 20, 2026, at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City. The program aims to foster direct business connections between Vietnamese seafood producers and processors and domestic distributors, retailers, and foodservice channels.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Cooking Show will be one of the most engaging experiential highlights of Vietfish 2026. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, 2026, at Hall B1, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City, the event will offer visitors a vibrant culinary space where Vietnamese seafood is showcased through its flavors, stories, and real-life culinary applications.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's pangasius exports reached USD 205 million in June 2026, up 5% compared with the same month in 2025. Cumulative export value for the first six months of the year totaled USD 1.1 billion, an increase of 12% year-on-year. Growth was primarily driven by strong demand from China and CPTPP markets, while exports to the United States and Brazil continued to decline.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first six months of 2026, Ha Tinh province continued to implement comprehensive solutions to combat IUU fishing; strictly manage the fishing fleet, control fishing vessels entering and leaving ports, operate vessel tracking devices, trace the origin of seafood, and severely punish violations.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's tilapia exports reached USD 7 million in June 2026, down 32% compared with the same month in 2025. Nevertheless, thanks to strong growth in the first five months of the year, cumulative tilapia exports in the first half of 2026 totaled USD 69 million, up 67% year on year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Sa Giang Import-Export Joint Stock Company, a member of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), has been honored with the "Famous Brand - Competitive Vietnamese Brand 2026" certification at an award ceremony organized by the Vietnam Intellectual Property Association (VIPA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) China imported nearly $1.4 billion worth of Vietnamese seafood in the first half of the year, a 40% increase compared to the same period last year, surpassing the US to become the largest export market for the industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As part of Vietfish 2026, the International Seafood Hosted Buyer Program has been designed as a dedicated B2B matchmaking initiative for selected international buyers. The program provides opportunities to meet directly with Vietnamese seafood companies, gain market insights, and experience Vietnam's seafood supply chain firsthand.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) A Story from Cà Mau’s Coast It’s 5 AM in Cà Mau. Minh, a third-generation fisherman, is ready to set sail. But unlike his father and grandfather, his boat no longer runs on an old diesel engine that burns fuel and clouds the sky with smoke. Instead, it’s powered by a hybrid engine that saves 40% fuel—funded by an ESG program from a major seafood exporter.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's pangasius industry is shifting its focus from increasing production volume to enhancing value-added products in order to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of export markets. In An Giang Province—the country's leading hub for pangasius farming and processing—businesses and farmers are prioritizing product quality, traceability, food safety, and sustainable development rather than expanding output.
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