I. What is Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber refers to the polymer of carbohydrates that naturally exists in plants, extracted or synthesized. It cannot be digested or absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract and does not provide energy. Therefore, it was once regarded as an “inert substance” and received insufficient attention for a long time.

However, with the deep development of nutrition science and related disciplines, people gradually discovered that dietary fiber has quite important physiological functions. As a result, in today’s increasingly refined dietary composition, dietary fiber has been re-recognized by the nutrition community as the seventh type of nutrient, alongside the traditional six types of nutrients – protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water.

II. Notes on Labeling Dietary Fiber

1. How to label dietary fiber

Dietary fiber is not a core nutrient and is not a mandatory item for mandatory labeling in food standards. If the product itself contains dietary fiber, it can be labeled based on the actual detection value, or based on soluble dietary fiber, or based on insoluble dietary fiber.

2. Whether dietary fiber participates in energy calculation

The energy conversion coefficient of dietary fiber is 8 kJ/g. When the nutrition label of the product indicates dietary fiber, the energy provided by dietary fiber should be calculated. If dietary fiber is not selected for labeling, it can be excluded from the calculation of energy.

3. How to make claims about dietary fiber

The content claim of dietary fiber should comply with the requirements of GB 28050. The total dietary fiber (or soluble dietary fiber, insoluble dietary fiber or individual components) ≥ 3g/100g (solid) [or ≥ 1.5g/100mL (liquid), ≥ 1.5 g/ 420 kJ], then “dietary fiber source” or “contains dietary fiber” can be marked on the food label. The total dietary fiber (or soluble dietary fiber, insoluble dietary fiber or individual components) ≥ 6g/100g (solid) [or ≥ 3g/100 mL (liquid), ≥ 3g/420 kJ], then “high dietary fiber”, “rich in dietary fiber” or “good source of dietary fiber” can be marked on the label.

4. How to make functional claims about dietary fiber

When the content claim or comparative claim condition is met, dietary fiber can make functional claims. The functional claim of dietary fiber can be labeled as “dietary fiber helps maintain normal intestinal function” or “dietary fiber is a low-energy substance”, and the font size shall not be larger than the food name and trademark.