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How to Build a Label Claim Substantiation File That Survives an Audit

An auditor, a retailer compliance team or an NRCS inspector will not ask whether your “high in protein” or “no added sugar” claim is true. They will ask you to prove it, with a document that already existed before the label was printed. Most manufacturers can explain a claim. Far fewer can produce the file that substantiates it, and that gap is what turns an audit finding into a recall or a retailer delisting.

What a claim substantiation file needs

Every claim type, nutrient content, health, free-from, natural or comparative, needs its own kind of evidence: a certificate of analysis, a Director-General approval letter, a full ingredient and processing aid list, or side-by-side lab results. Building that file correctly, and keeping it current when the recipe or supplier changes, is exactly what the Labelling Claims & Regulatory Framework Course teaches.

What the course covers

  • How to classify a claim and identify the evidence it legally needs
  • Building and maintaining a claim register and substantiation file
  • Where claim files fail in practice, and how to close those gaps before an audit finds them
  • A practical label and claims review workshop

8 hours, self-paced, with a QR-verified certificate on completion. Build a claim file that holds up before someone asks for it.

Enrol in Labelling Claims & Regulatory Framework → Compare all labelling & shelf-life courses

For the full regulatory breakdown of what you can and cannot say on a South African food label, see ASC’s guide on health and nutrition claims. For a specific label or claim already under question, ASC Food Safety Consultants can review it.

Frequently asked questions

Who should take this course?
Anyone who approves label artwork or claims before print: QA, regulatory, technical and marketing team members responsible for food labelling compliance.
Does this replace a professional label review?
No. The course teaches you to build and assess claim evidence yourself. For a specific label or claim already under question, ASC Food Safety Consultants can review it directly.
What else should I take alongside it?
Teams new to labelling often start with the shorter Essentials of Food Labelling Claims course first, then add this one for claims depth.

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