Public health scheme aims to plugs gap in the market
Hygiene claims made on everyday products are to be the subject of consumer scrutiny thanks to the launch of a new accreditation scheme designed to endorse products that support health, hygiene and safety.
The scheme will rely on an expert panel from the Royal Institute of Public Health checking that hygiene claims made by cleaning, infection control, hygiene and safety organisations in their marketing or advertising are accurate and appropriate. Products that pass the assessment will be able to use the new accreditation kitemark.
According to institute chief executive Professor Richard Parish, the new launch aims to fill a gap in the market.
“No other accreditation scheme focuses exclusively on health and hygiene claims, and our endorsement gives a real benefit to consumers, and to those organisations that care about the integrity of their marketing," he said.
John Pickup, one of the scientific advisors to the Royal Institute, said: “Hygiene products must be shown to provide significant benefits and their capabilities must be properly communicated without scare-mongering or exaggerating the risks."