New FDA ruling allows oat fibre for dietary fibre label claims

The FDA ruling in the United States issued on July 14, 2018 confirms oat fibre on the list of ingredients now recognized as a “dietary fibre,” allowing oat fibre to be recognized as an official dietary fibre on clean-label foods.

United States’ FDA ruling under 21 CFR 101.9(c)(6)(i) now allows manufacturers to use oat fibre as a dietary fibre source, allowing it to .
In Canada, both naturally occurring and accepted novel fibre sources may be eligible for fibre claims. The terms “good” and “excellent”, are not permitted because they imply a judgment regarding the nature and value of the fibre in addition to quantity.

If a food contains a novel fibre source that has not been reviewed by Health Canada, or for which the data does not support the efficacy of the fibre, the amount of fibre contributed by this ingredient must not be included in the declaration of the dietary fibre content, and no fibre claims may be made for it.

 Some oat fibre providers offer a variety of functional characteristics, suitable for applications from beverages to bars, snacks, pasta, and cereals including gluten-free, Non-GMO, and organic products.

“In today’s era of demand for transparency and traceability… oat fibre has always checked all the boxes for discerning consumers,” says Chris Kongsore, Executive Vice President of Grain Millers, in a press release. “The recent change in FDA regulations further strengthens our position as a market leader in the supply of organic, chemical-free, clean label dietary oat fibre.”

In food formulation, oat fibre’s functional properties include improved product texture and integrity as well as enhanced crumb softness in baked goods, among others. Oat fibre is cost-effective, possesses a bland natural flavour with no off-odours.

“The functional and physiological benefits of oat fibre and the chemical-free process we use to produce it, make our fibre the preferred dietary fibre for use among formulators for all sorts of applications,” said Roberto Serrano, Chief Science Officer for Grain Millers.