Dear Dietitian

How can a food be advertised as low GI when it hasn't been tested?

I bought a food product advertised as low Glycaemic Index (GI) but after eating it my blood glucose went really high. I contacted the manufacturer and was told it had never been tested. How do they know it's low GI?

The only way to know the GI of a product is to have it tested. Just because a product contains some low GI ingredients doesn't mean it will have a low GI overall.

Our Fair Trading Act requires that any statements are 'not misleading or deceptive'. Therefore any claim about the GI of a food must be scientifically sound and any statements on the label must not mislead consumers.

The Food Safety Authority of New Zealand suggests that since the glycaemic index does not fit within the mandated format of the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) on the food label, the GI of the food should be declared in close proximity to the NIP.

A manufacturer must be able to substantiate any claim. If they can't, you can make a complaint to the local health protection officer at your nearest public health unit.

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