The FDA is announcing that it will not object to a qualified health claim for yogurt and diabetes. Danone North America had requested that the agency review the use of the claim about the relationship between the consumption of yogurt and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The agency did say that the qualified health claims must be worded to not mislead consumers, and that other factors for the use of the claim must be met. There are two kinds of health claims: qualified and authorized.
A health claim is the relationship between a substance and a disease or health-related condition. A qualified health claim means that the claim is supported by scientific evidence but doesn’t meet the more rigorous “significant scientific agreement” standard that is required for an authorized health claim.
After reviewing the petition and other evidence, the FDA found that there is some credible evidence supporting a relationship between yogurt intake and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, but that this evidence is limited. The association is based on yogurt as a food, rather than any single nutrient or compound in yogurt.
The FDA considers 2 cups, or 3 servings, of yogurt per week as the minimum amount for this qualified health claim. The qualified health claims can be printed on the product label as:
“Eating yogurt regularly, at least 2 cups (3 servings) per week, may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. FDA has concluded that there is limited information supporting this claim.”
“Eating yogurt regularly, at least 2 cups (3 servings) per week, may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes according to limited scientific evidence.”
