The government’s healthy eating advisory body Voedingcentrum on Thursday warned consumers not to be taken in by the current ‘superfoods’ fad, saying there is little evidence about their efficacy.

‘There is no such thing as a superfood,’ spokeswoman Patricia Schutte says on the organisation’s website. ‘The health benefits which are being claimed are not sufficiently supported by science.’

A survey of 1,000 people by the centre shows one in 10 Dutch people take so-called superfoods, such as blueberries and chia seeds, because of the health benefit claims.

‘There is no legal definition of the the term ‘superfoods’ and anyone can use it, Schutte says. ‘So it is easy to use as part of a marketing strategy.’

The advisory centre’s advice remains for people to eat a healthy mix of food, including fruit, vegetables, bread and milk.