At last! A legal definition of dietary fibre proposed ahead of new labelling laws

A proposed amendment to the Nutrition Labelling Directive (90/496/EEC) finally looks set to provide industry with a much-needed EU-wide definition of dietary fibre.

While the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation defines the criteria by which manufacturers can make claims such as 'high fibre' (6g fibre/100g), it does not actually define what fibre is.

This has proved a bone of contention, with some experts gunning for a narrow definition of fibre as 'intrinsic plant cell wall polysaccharides' and others in favour of a broader definition to include a whole swathe of 'fibre-like' ingredients.

Differing analytical methods have further added to the confusion, with the UK historically favouring the 'Englyst' testing method, which only measures non-starch polysaccharides, but other Member States preferring the 'AOAC' method, which measures a broader range of components from resistant starch to lignin, polydextrose and oligosaccharides.

The amendment, which is currently up for consultation, comes down on the side of a broader definition, which, in the long-term, would feed into the proposed new EU Food Information Regulation.

Dr Julian Stowell, head of scientific and regulatory affairs at Danisco Sweeteners, welcomed moves to clarify the situation. He added: "There appears to be one or two luddites with louder voices here [in the UK] than everyone else. The UK should fall in line with the rest of the world."

British Nutrition Foundation director general professor Judith Buttriss added: "It's high time that there was some clarity."