U.K. Adopts Soy Health Claim

U.K. Adopts Soy Health Claim

LONDON--In late July, the Joint Health ClaimsInitiative (JHCI) created a health claim for U.K. food producers to use on foodproducts that contain at least 6.25 g of soy protein per serving. The claim,which states, "The inclusion of at least 25 g of soya protein per day, aspart of a diet low in saturated fat, can help reduce blood cholesterollevels," reads similarly to the U.S. claim, "Diets low in saturatedfat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce therisk of heart disease."

JHCI, a non-governmental independent organization that assesseshealth claims on food in the absence of specific European Union regulation,reported many companies have already been carrying soy health claims for sometime, but this is the first time that such an authoritative endorsement of theclaim has been issued in the United Kingdom. Those who label foods with theclaim do not have to use a logo from JHCI or make reference to the JHCIdecision.