Food Standards Australia is reviewing a proposal that would make it easier for food manufacturers to make genuine health claims about their products and discourage those making dubious or unhelpful claims.
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If the proposal gets the green light, companies would need to submit to Food Standards Australia scientific proof that a food can reduce the risk of a certain disease or improve cholesterol, for example.
However, they would not need to submit evidence backing up more general health claims such as “calcium builds strong bones” – although they would have to have the evidence in case it was requested.
The regulator will also scrutinise nebulous marketing terms such as lite, lactose-free or slimming. It is hoped that the new rules will also make it harder for manufacturers to make unsubstantiated health claims.
Claims on labels that a food can reduce the risk of a serious disease are currently not permitted, apart from that the consumption of folate by pregnant women can reduce the risk of neural tube defects in babies.
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By GlobalDataHowever, loopholes have been exploited and a supermarket survey by the Australian Consumers Association this year found more than 30 foods made “quasi-health claims” that were unsubstantiated, relating to Omega-3 fats, low GI (glycemic index), heart health, dietary fibre for the digestive system, and calcium for strong bones, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.
