Looking ahead to the GI revolution
thebiggest steps the industry can take to improve public health,
according to speakers at a recent seminar in the UK.
But the task of informing consumers on how to locate the healthier options will be far from easy.
The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how fast a food or ingredient triggers a rise in circulating blood glucose; the higher the GI, the greater the blood sugar response. A low GI food will cause a small rise in blood sugar levels, whereas a higher GI food may trigger a large increase.
Support for measurement of GI is gaining momentum with growing evidence that foods with a high glycemic index may have a negative impact on health.
A study published this month in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition online (doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601992) found that dietary GI and glycemic load were positively associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors among Japanese women who consumed white rice as a staple food.
High GI foods could also raise risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, both growing rapidly in many parts of the world.
Several countries have already adopted formal approaches to labelling foods according to their glycemic impact properties, with the Australian system most highly developed. And earlier this year, an analyst from market research firm Mintel predicted that this type of carbohydrate control could have much more staying power in the UK market than the Atkins diet, currently sweeping the US.
At a seminar run by Food Industry Training - Reading in London last week, Mike Lindley, head of new product development services at RSSL, said: "While there remains some uncertainty of the best way to educate consumers about the importance of GI and/or GL, the health benefits from consuming low GI/GL foods appear to be incontrovertible."
He added: "The evidence from nutritional research and the apparent interest of retailers seems certain to drive this market forward. Manufacturers need to spend some time and effort in understanding the glycemic implications of their products so that they might be modified, if necessary, for consumer and commercial advantage."
Companies looking to position products as low GI will however need to consider carefully how they label their products - by glycemic index (GI) or glycemic load (GL). These related parameters both give a measure of how blood glucose levels rise immediately after consumption of a food, but GL is related to portion sizes, whereas GI allows for an easier comparison between different products.
"Clearly the food industry in the UK has yet to reach a decision of how best to communicate the benefits of a low GI diet to consumers, and of how to label products accurately without creating confusion. But this is an area for new product development that seems certain to become mainstream," added Lindley.
Delegates were also urged to lobby their MEPs to include some reference to GI in the forthcoming EU Commission Proposal for Regulation of Nutritional and Health Claims. In its current form the proposal makes no reference to GI, despite its clear relevance to healthy eating.
"There is time to change the proposals but the industry can't wait for legislators to take a lead on this issue," noted Dr Julian Stowell during his presentation on regulatory affairs at the seminar.
