The Australian Beverages Council is defending the proposed easing of labelling restrictions for sports drinks after the Obesity Policy Coalition claimed the changes could mislead consumers.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is calling for submissions on a proposed change to the Food Standards Code to expand the range of claims that can be made about formulated supplementary sports foods (FSSFs), electrolyte drinks and electrolyte drink bases (EDs).
“While these products can already carry some claims that are specified in the Code, the claims are very limited. FSANZ is proposing to change the Code so that these products can carry a broader range of health claims related to their purpose and composition,” FSANZ chief executive officer Steve McCutcheon said.
According to the ABC, Jane Martin, executive manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition said health claims are currently banned from sports drinks because of their high sugar content.
"… because these drinks are very high in sugar they fail to meet the cut-off to be allowed to carry health claims, and this is a call for an exemption,” she said.
"Presenting the impression that these products provide superior health benefits compared to water without providing any information about the high sugar content and the potential negative impacts of these drinks is misleading for consumers."
However Geoff Parker, CEO of the Australian Beverages Council, said there is significant data demonstrating the health benefits of sports drinks.
"What manufacturers wanted to do was to tap into a whole lot of internationally recognised research and scientific studies which are out there, which start to flesh out some of the more detailed, functional benefits that electrolytes and sports drinks can actually make," Parker said.
"So some of their claims might be … that sports drinks hydrate better than water for intensive exercise, for example, or [that] sports drinks hydrate twice as fast as water for intensive exercise.”
Parker said this form of labelling would help consumers to recognise if sports drinks are suitable for them to consume, but Martin disagrees, claiming manufacturers would use them as a marketing tool.
"Health claims are incredibly powerful tools and people are very motivated to be healthy," she said.
"People will think they're doing the right thing but they'll be getting it with eight teaspoons of sugar.”