Danisco recently commissioned the National Centre of Excellence in Functional Foods (NCEFF) to evaluate the type of digestive health claims that could be made with Litesse® (polydextrose), both now and when the new FSANZ Nutrition, Health and Related Claims (P293) are adopted.   

 

 To determine if there was adequate scientific evidence supporting general level health claims for Litesse® (polydextrose), the NCEFF utilised the process prescribed in the FSANZ Health Claim Substantiation Framework. In order to undertake this they meta-analysed 15 clinical research papers with emphasis on the intestinal health properties of Litesse® (polydextrose). The studies were rated as high, medium or low quality and used to establish criteria for general level claims. The sum of the scientific evidence for Litesse® (polydextrose) was systematically evaluated and classified according to clearly defined criteria such as: convincing, probable, possible or insufficient.   

 

 For general health claims now, and for when P293 is adopted, it was concluded by the NCEFF that there is enough scientific evidence for food manufacturers to make the following claims: that polydextrosehelps maintain a healthy digestive system; improves/enhances digestive health; maintains a balanced digestive system; and enhances the prevalence of good bacteria in the gut, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria.   

 

 Food manufacturers do not currently require, and will not be obliged to provide, evidence in advance of making such a general level claim. However, food manufacturers will be required to hold the scientific evidence substantiating any health claims they make on food labels or in associated advertising material, and may be required to make this evidence available to health inspectors on request. The evidence included in the report evaluated by the NCEFF was concluded to be sufficient to substantiate those claims.