Zoë Dahse
GREEN kiwis help aid digestion, and now the European Commission has greenlighted the use of this argument in the advertising of the fruit.
This decision comes following a request made in 2018 for the green kiwi to hold status as a health claim, by the New Zealand company Zespri. The company is the largest kiwifruit marketer worldwide.
After the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a positive scientific opinion on the matter in 2021, the European Commission has now been able to authorise the health claim, which states that “the consumption of green kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa Hayward variety) contributes to the normal functioning of the intestine by increasing the frequency of bowel movements.”
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The beneficial effect of eating green kiwis is obtained with a daily intake of 200g (two kiwis) of fresh green kiwi pulp.
Decades ago, legal restrictions were not as stringent as they are today, and food advertising has now been regulated for almost two decades to prevent misleading or incorrect messages being spread.
Nowadays, food and health can only be linked and advertised as a health claim if the European Commission has authorised this based on the existence of sufficient scientific support.
Green kiwis have been given the go ahead, so it’s time to take delight in eating them that just that little bit more.
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