Last update: December 2022
FSANZ has considered a European Union (EU) authorised health claim about replacing digestible starch with resistant starch in a food and its effect on peak postprandial blood glucose concentration, for possible inclusion as a food-health relationship in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code).
The EU-authorised health claim is:
Replacing digestible starches with resistant starch in a meal contributes to a reduction in the blood glucose rise after that meal
The EU claim may be used only for food in which digestible starch has been replaced by resistant starch so that the final content of resistant starch is at least 14% of total starch.
Our approach
When we considered this food-health relationship we looked at two food-health relationships related to resistant starch and peak postprandial blood glucose concentration.
We considered both the replacement of digestible starch with resistant starch and the addition of resistant starch and a reduction in peak postprandial blood glucose concentration.
A systematic review of the literature was prepared to assess the food-health relationships.
Outcome
After conducting the systematic review FSANZ concluded that:
- there is a high degree of certainty that replacing digestible starch with resistant starch in a food reduces peak postprandial blood glucose concentration.
- there is a moderate degree of certainty that the addition of resistant starch to a food does not reduce peak postprandial blood glucose concentration.
This means the relationship between replacing digestible starch with resistant starch in a food and a reduction in peak postprandial blood glucose concentration is substantiated but not the relationship between adding resistant starch to a food and a reduction in peak postprandial blood glucose concentration.
Consultation
In late 2021, FSANZ engaged with key industry stakeholders to determine the level of interest in using the substantiated food-health relationship to make claims and, as such, whether a change to the Code might be required.
Feedback received from our stakeholders indicated a low level of interest in using this food-health relationship to make claims, particularly due to how this replacement claim could be applied to an individual food.
Decision
While the food-health relationship between replacing digestible starch with resistant starch and reduced peak postprandial blood glucose concentration was substantiated, FSANZ has decided not to include this food-health relationship in the Code.
In making this decision we noted the low level of interest in making claims using this food-health relationship and also that:
- The food-health relationship between the addition of resistant starch and reduced peak postprandial blood glucose was not substantiated. This outcome raises questions about the nature of the substantiated food-health relationship. That is, whether it is the reduction in digestible starch that is causing the health effect rather than resistant starch replacing digestible starch. Therefore a claim referring to the replacement of digestible starch with resistant starch could be misleading for consumers about the effect of resistant starch.
- The Ministerial Policy Guideline on Nutrition, Health and Related Claims states that 'claims about a food or component can describe a health benefit for the population but must not arouse unwarranted and/or unrealistic expectations of the benefit to the individual'. The scope of the systematic review was based on the EU-authorised health claim. The benefit of reduced peak postprandial blood glucose concentration for the general population was not investigated. In the context of the body of work on the EU-authorised health claims, we are not proposing to assess the benefit of reduced peak postprandial blood glucose concentration.
- Claims about glycaemic index, a measure of postprandial blood glucose response, are already permitted in Schedule 4 of the Code. Glycaemic index claims may therefore be able to be used for foods that have resistant starch provided the conditions for such claims are met. FSANZ notes glycaemic index claims are not permitted in the EU.
FSANZ also notes there are no claims permitted in Canada similar to the EU-authorised claim about replacement of digestible starch with resistant starch and peak postprandial blood glucose concentration. The USA Food and Drug Administration does not object to the use of a qualified health claim about high amylose maize resistant starch and the risk of type 2 diabetes on food labels provided specified criteria are met.
Our systematic review of the evidence for the two food-health relationships for resistant starch and blood glucose concentration is below.
- Systematic review of the evidence for a relationship between resistant starch and peak postprandial blood glucose concentration [PDF 1.2MB] (December 2017)