./.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/NZL/1
15 January 2001
(01-0193)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   NEW ZEALAND
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA)
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:           
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicab le, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Inulin and
Fructooligosaccharide as Dietary Fibre.
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Application A277 :
Inulin And Fructooligosaccharide As Dietary Fibre (56 Pages, in English only)
6. Description of content:  It is a proposal to amend standard A1 to permit the declaration of
inulin and fructooliogosaccharides (FOS) as dietary fibre on food labels;  adopt an
analytical method for the determination of inulin and FOS;  and amend the calculation of
carbohydrate by difference by including dietary fibre in the range of macronutrientsdeducted from 100.  It will also include a revised definition of dietary fibre for labelling
purposes.
The question of whether fructan carbohydrate such as inulin should be considered as dietary
fibre is central to this proposal.  Any definition of dietary fibre should encompass elements
of origin, chemistry, and physiological effect.  The definition proposed is  “that fraction of
the edible part of plants or their extracts, or analogous carbohydrates that are resistant to
digestion in the human small intestine, usually with complete or partial fermentation in the
large intestine.  The term includes polysaccharides, oligosaccharides (DP>2) and lignins.
Dietary fibre promotes one or more of these beneficial physiological effects: laxation,
reduction in blood cholesterol and/or modulation of blood glucose”.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
The proposal under consideration will expand the range of substances which can be defined
as dietary fibre in food.   The assessment is primarily health related and considers human
health and safety issues.
8. Relevant documents:   Full Assessment Report and Regulatory Impact Assessment of A277
– Inulin and Fructoologigosaccharides as dietary fibre.G/TBT/N/NZL/1
Page 2
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force:Recommendation to Government anticipated to be
made mid 2001 .  Entry into force 28 days after
publication in the New Zealand Gazette.
10. Final date for comments:    23 March 2001
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [     ] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:
Documents are available from the Australia New Zealand Food Authority website
(www.anzfa.gov.au ).  Also available from:
Australia New Zealand Food Authority
PO Box 7186
Canberra Mail Centre  ACT  2610
AUSTRALIA
Fax  (+61) 2 62712278 Email  info@anzfa.gov.au
Please quote “Application A277” when requesting documents from ANZFA