Anyone want to check this interesting development please?
Thanks, Moosie.
I've just been enjoying eating the ice cream while it's still available. The FSANZ have agreed on new rules for health claims on food, which transition over 3 years but start now too, so anyone starting a new probiotic ice cream would be wise to meet them. But they don't allow health claims on food high in salt, fat or sugar, so the next ice cream will be one of the low fat jobs for sure. So it's goodbye to the only genuine ice cream on the market, I fear. http://www.foodstandards.govt.nz/con...relatedclaims/
The good news is that they seem to allow full health claims about Blis starting right now, so long as they've notified FSANZ for most claims, or also got FSANZ approval if they mention a health marker (blood tests etc) or serious illness (one you'd normally get a doctor to treat). There are a few other restrictions too. One is that you can't claim to cure or alleviate a disease or condition, which Blis will have to tip toe around a bit maybe. "Keeps breath fresh" is probably okay but "cures bad breath" probably isn't. Interestingly, I wouldn't have thought a common cold counted as a serious disease, but the "alleviation" problem would be there. I'll bet a lot of people would like taking a yoghurt that said "keeps breath fresh" though.
As I read it, this makes Blis ice cream, yoghurt etc able to make quite substantial claims right on the label and in advertising starting now, in NZ and Australia. If that is true, and that's just my reading, then yesterday's announcement could yet be the precursor to an interesting future, remembering too my earlier comment on the industry heavyweight BFF have on their side. Also, the company has said it has problems getting Blis into Australia under health laws, but this would appear to give them an open door now.
I hope I'm right in my reading of this, the link takes you where you need to go to decide yourself. As this is quite an interesting development, I would be very interested to hear if anyone agrees with my reading on this. It appears to open the door for Blis K12 and M18 to be used in ice cream and yoghurt and gum, with pretty full health claims on the label and also in advertising, in NZ and Australia, starting now.
As the inability to legally advertise has been a real archilles heel, this would appear to be a pretty positive development. Has anyone got the time to see if they agree with my reading?
But meanwhile I am mourning the loss of the only real ice cream on the market. The ODT article in the earlier link said they would be moving Blis into the Gourmet premises in 8 weeks.