Food items claiming to have specific health benefits will need to support such claims with scientific research if they are to be appear on labels.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) is proposing an amendment to the Food Standards Code (FSC) in line with research that shows people are looking for simpler ways of making healthier choices.
“Nutrition panels that were introduced on the backs of products in 2000 and 2001, displaying key nutrients, the percentage of ingredients and better allergen labelling were well received by consumers who were able to make more informed choices about what they were eating,” FSANZ spokesperson Lydia Buchtmann said.
The new labelling system will target the growing trend of products claiming to target specific medical problems such as heart disease or diabetes.
“As food is regarded as a main contributing factor to people’s health and wellbeing, food producers need to become more responsible for the health claims they make,” said McCann Healthcare business director of health and wellness Steven Strong.
The proposed FSANZ regulations will provide food manufacturers with a framework to make three different types of health claims.
A high-level claim, like that which boasts a serious health benefit such as reducing heart disease, will have to be pre-approved by FSANZ on the basis of conclusive evidence.
“Food companies will be able to say that fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of heart disease or that calcium and vitamin D may prevent osteoporosis because there is strong scientific research supporting these claims,” Buchtmann said.
Other pre-approved health claims include, for example, that reducing sodium intake may help prevent high blood pressure, folic acid may reduce neural tube defects and eating foods low in saturated and trans fats may reduce cholesterol.
Making a general-level claim, one that links particular foods to non-serious diseases, like the claim that cranberry juice will reduce urinary-tract infections, will also have to be supported by research.
Proposed changes will regulate general nutrition claims that are currently permitted under the food industry’s voluntary code of practice.
As well as providing an industry standard for making health claims on labels, FSANZ said the changes will encourage manufacturers to produce healthier products.
“The benefit will be they can put these health claims on their labels to attract consumers,” Buchtmann said.
Opposition from groups like the Cancer Council Australia and the Public Health Association of Australia stems from fear that labelling will encourage eating packaged foods, instead of healthier, unpackaged foods.
FSANZ expects the proposal to be finalised and implemented during 2007.