An Overview of Dietary Glycaemic Index Labelling Practices

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.                                                                                                                                               

   Figure 1: GI symbol for food products in Australia and New Zealand

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.       

   Figure 2: GIFSA ‘Often Foods’ endorsement logos

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.

How the Food Research Lab can help

We are a team of food scientists and technologists who assist food industries with glycaemic index testing.

• We determine the GI of a food product by using standardised in-vitro protocols for the measurement of RAG, SAG and starch fractions.
• We evaluate the GI by using human clinical trials using the latest equipments for analysing the glucose content.
• We understand that consumers have become more health conscious and formulate meal plan kits specific for people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
• Or range of products with lower glycaemic index include protein-enriched pasta and desserts using sugar replacers like protein-rich chocolate truffles and nutritional bars.

To know more about the various products we have developed, check out our portfolio.