IDF Europe together with MEP Nicola Caputo (Italy) organized a roundtable discussion, Diabetes and chronic diseases — the challenge of EU nutrition legislation. The case of carbohydrate quality and prevention. The discussion took place on 5 February at the European Parliament in Brussels and aimed to examinine the issues surrounding the inclusion or not of Glycemia Index (GI) under the EU’s nutrition legislation.
Not all carbohydrates are equal — something people living with diabetes know only too well! Counting the quantity of carbohydrates consumed is key to awareness of post-meal changes in blood glucose levels. Yet this common task is not always easy.
Under the current EU food labelling and nutrition legislation, the amount of carbohydrates contained in a product is not always clear. During the roundtable discussion, a dozern or so healthcare and nutrition profesionals, policy makers and representatives from civil society examined whether EU nutrition legislation should entail GI*.
Roundtable tools:
- Learn more on the “Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the introduction of a low glycaemic index (LGI) symbol for foodstuffs in Europe“
- Learn more on carbohydrate quality and human health.
- Learn more on the relation between GI and diabetes.
*The Glycemic Index (GI) is a relative ranking of carbohydrate in foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels.
