Tate & Lyle ingredients receive positive opinion in new EFSA ruling on general function health claims

Tate & Lyle’s sugar replacement ingredients polydextrose and sucralose have received positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for ‘reduction of post prandial blood glucose response’ and ‘maintenance of tooth mineralisation’ health claims.

Tate & Lyle welcomes the news on April 8, in the published result of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) evaluation of a fourth series of ‘general function’ health claims submitted for use on food and drink products (EFSA Journal 2011;9(4):2076). These claims will now proceed through the remainder of the regulatory process for authorizing health claims in Europe.

The EFSA Panel concluded that reduced sugar products containing polydextrose and/or sucralose can reduce post-prandial blood glucose responses when compared to traditional full-sugar food and drinks.

Furthermore, EFSA has stated that food and drink products that are consumed daily and include sucralose and/or polydextrose in place of sugar can decrease tooth demineralisation when compared with sugar-containing foods and drinks.

Significantly, this opinion will help inform future decisions of the European Commission and member states as part of the process of authorizing health claims in Europe.

Caroline Sanders, Global Marketing & Communication Director, Tate & Lyle Speciality Food Ingredients, said: “STA-LITE® Poyldextrose and SPLENDA® Sucralose have both been successfully used in the development of sugar-reduced products in a wide range of food and drink categories. This confirmation from the European Food Safety Authority on the science behind our ingredients is an important step to allowing Tate & Lyle‘s food and drink manufacturer clients to communicate the health benefits, in turn allowing consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions.”