Australia Adopts Glycemic Index Label

SYDNEY--On July 2, the Glycemic Index Symbol Program officially launched a glycemic index rating logo to be used by Australian food manufacturers. The program (www.gisymbol.com), which was formed by the University of Sydney, Diabetes Australia and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, currently has one manufacturer using the symbol, but there are other proposals being considered from a broad range of food manufacturers. The symbol will let shoppers know if a food product, after being tested in an accredited laboratory, tests low, medium or high on the glycemic index.

The glycemic index is a ranking of how carbohydrates affect blood glucose levels after eating. If a food's carbohydrates break down slowly, it is considered to have a low glycemic index, which makes the food easier to be burned and less likely to be stored as fat. Low glycemic index foods help diabetics manage glucose levels and others lose weight and lower cholesterol. Foods with carbohydrates that break down quickly have the highest glycemic index and are used to re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise.

The only company currently licensed to use the symbol on five of its products is Wild About Fruit (WAF), a juice manufacturer. "Any manufacturer can simply put the words low, medium or high glycemic index on their packaging without having to license their product through the symbol program," said Ben Mould, WAF managing director. "However, the important difference is that the glycemic index symbol is monitored by credible organizations and reflects that the product has been tested by a reliable methodology as used by the University of Sydney."

The director of the program, Jennie Brand-Miller, Ph.D., and a professor of human nutrition at the university, stated that by developing and launching this symbol, it promotes the growing evidence that monitor the glycemic index in a person's diet benefits health and well-being. "A lower overall glycemic index for the diet appears to have benefits for weight management and cardiovascular health," she said. "In an age of increasing obesity and rising diabetes rates, using the glycemic index in food choice can make a vital contribution to better public health overall." Almost 60 percent of Australians are overweight and one in four of all Australians over the age of 25 either has diabetes or is at risk for diabetes.