An Overview of Dietary Glycaemic Index Labelling Practices – Guires Food Research Lab
What
is the glycaemic index?
The
glycaemic index (GI) is a measurement system for carbohydrate-rich foods. There
are differences in the rates of digestion and absorption of different types of
carbohydrates. The glycaemic index gauges
how quickly can a food product cause changes in blood glucose levels when it is
consumed. The higher the GI value, the faster the spike in glucose levels.
The GI
of a food and beverage product can vary from 0 to 100, and glucose is used as a
reference, which has a GI of 100. Previous research on GI has revealed that
food products with a low glycaemic index (less than 55) can help manage
long-term blood glucose levels (HbA1c) in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Furthermore, low GI foods help an individual feel fuller for longer, which
facilitates appetite control, thereby aiding weight loss.
The
glycaemic index of a food product is not determined by the ingredients in the
product but by testing human participants in a laboratory. Various factors
contribute to the glycaemic index of the product. These include proportions of
the carbohydrate source, the type of sugar and starch and food processing
techniques.
Although
there are health trends in ingredients and labelling,
very few countries have specified the inclusion of GI information on the
product label. The following section summarises GI labelling practices in those
countries where it is mandated.
Glycaemic
Index Labelling practices
1.
Europe
In Europe, the use of the Glycaemic Index (GI) for food selection is not
frequently recommended in dietary guidelines. The European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) published a report on carbohydrate dietary reference values
(DRV) in 2010, noting that the data for GI was inconclusive and making no
particular recommendations.
Some European countries have taken GI into account while developing national
DRV documents on carbohydrates, with variable degrees of success. Introducing a
low GI label under the European Union (EU) ’s existing laws poses challenges.
Labelling a food with its GI qualities may be considered a health claim under
EU regulations 1924/2007, and such claims must meet certain conditions. A
decreased postprandial glycaemic response is thought to be a favourable
physiological effect.
Consumers, diabetic organisations, and scientific institutions agree that GI
labelling should be voluntary. The International Carbohydrate Quality
Consortium provided this data to the EU Parliament, proposing that measures be
taken to ensure the availability of a low GI symbol on product labels in Europe
in order to encourage healthy eating habits and minimise diet-related disease
risks.
2.
United States
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet defined GI for regulatory
food labelling purposes. According to the FDA, statements about GI are not
considered nutrient content, structure/function, or health claims.
GI claims may be permissible under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act’s general
false and misleading provisions, which require all labelling to be true,
evidence-based, and not misleading.
In the US, food and beverage manufacturers may use low GI
logos without FDA pre-approval, provided they adhere to evidence-based,
non-disease-related claims.
3.
Canada
Health Canada, the University of Toronto, and Diabetes Canada collaborated to
create a low-GI symbol programme outside of the existing health claims system.
This programme intends to educate consumers about low-GI foods while also
aligning with other carbohydrate quality parameters.
Diabetes Canada produced various instructional resources for this programme in
2017, but there has been no major development since then. As a result, despite
the advice of health organisations, GI labelling in Canada is not yet
implemented.
4.
Australia and New Zealand
The book ‘The GI Factor’ published in 1996, led to the introduction of low-GI
content claims on food and beverage products in the late 1990s. However, claims
for low GI were regulated in 2013.
A GI symbol was introduced, and products with this label must fulfil the
requirements related to carbohydrates, energy, saturated fat and dietary fibre.
Many consumers associated the symbol with healthy food choices.
The introduction of GI labelling on food products had a positive impact on
consumer awareness and food choices, and there has been a reduction in the
incidence of type-2 diabetes as it encouraged consumers to consume food with
lower GI.
Guires Food research lab glycemic index testing services and Contract R&D
5. South Africa
South Africa is the only country in Africa that has provisions for GI
labelling. The Glycaemic Index Foundation of South Africa (GIFSA) was
introduced in 1999, making it the world’s first organisation related to the
promotion of GI labelling on food and beverage products.
The GIFSA ‘Often Foods’ endorsement logo was soon introduced that distinguishes
between “Frequent Foods” (very low GI, low fat), “Often Foods” (low GI, lower
fat), “Active Foods” (intermediate GI, medium fat), and “Exercise Foods” (high
GI). Like Australia and New Zealand, food products must meet a set of
requirements regarding the carbohydrate, fat, sodium, dietary fibre, sugar
alcohols and protein content.
6.
China
The National Health Commission of China established the first national food
standard for measuring the GI of foods in 2019, called “Standard for
Determination of Food Glycaemic Index (GI), WS/T 652—2019.” It defines GI and
explains GI testing criteria, including the requirement that the finished
product have a GI value of 55 to be designated as low GI.
For product certification, the Chinese Nutrition
Society defined the “Standard for GI claims of pre-packaged food T/CNSS
012-2019” in 2020. Food products must match particular nutrient standards and
belong to specific food categories for them to be labelled as “Low GI”.
7.
Singapore
The Health Promotion Symbol was introduced in 2001 to encourage healthy living.
The Healthier Choice symbol was introduced, which was applicable to over 3,500
packaged foods.
The Glycemic Index Research Unit (GIRU) was founded in 2009, and guidelines for
functional food testing, including GI testing, were developed at the same time.
The low GI Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) was launched in 2014, initially only
for wholegrain cereal food products.
Low GI food products must meet HCS
category-specific nutrient standards and have a GI value of 55. Products tested
by GIRU bear the Singapore Accreditation Council’s accredited facility’s low
GI-tested logo. Enterprise Singapore grants encourage local producers to
develop novel low-GI products.
8.
Other South East Asian
Countries
Food products must be registered in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and
the Philippines, and food safety authorities assess and approve low GI claims
on a case-by-case basis. Low GI claims differ in different parts of South East
Asia[1].
Conclusion
While
there has been an increased interest in developing food products with low
glycaemic index for managing chronic diseases, the study reveals that food
product labelling on glycaemic index has been inconsistent. The successful
implementation of product labelling with low GI requires changes in the regulations and
increased adoption of food product labelling practices by the food industries.
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