Oat beta-glucans and the glucose peak: a new health claim is on its way
Posted: March 11, 2026 Filed under: Food, Health claims Comments Off on Oat beta-glucans and the glucose peak: a new health claim is on its way
You have probably experienced it: that familiar afternoon slump after a lunch heavy on pasta or bread. Blood sugar spikes sharply after a carbohydrate-rich meal, only to drop again shortly after, leaving you tired and unfocused. This postprandial glucose peak is not just a matter of energy levels; it is increasingly a focus of nutrition science and, as it turns out, of EU food law.
Positive outcomes in the EU health claim authorisation process are rare: the EU Register of Health Claims currently lists only 262 authorised health claims, against 2,067 that were not authorised. Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 (hereinafter: Claims Regulation) harmonises the provisions relating to nutrition and health claims made on food and establishes rules governing the authorisation of health claims across the EU. Health claims are prohibited unless they comply with the requirements of the Claims Regulation, are authorised in accordance with it, and are included in the lists of authorised claims. The majority of health claim applications fail at the scientific hurdle. That alone makes a January 2026 positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on oat beta-glucans noteworthy. But there is a second reason this opinion stands out: the application was submitted under article 13(5) of the Claims Regulation. This route is rarely used, and even more rarely with success. At present, only 8 claims have been successfully evaluated via that route.
Article 13(1) versus article 13(5)
Most authorised health claims reached the permitted list via article 13(1) of the Claims Regulation, relating to general function claims. As an example “calcium is needed for the maintenance of normal bones” could be mentioned. These claims are based on generally accepted scientific evidence. Article 13(5) also target general function claims but through a fundamentally different route: it is reserved for claims based on newly developed scientific evidence. Unlike article 13(1), an applicant under article 13(5) must submit an individual application and bear the full burden of demonstrating that the claim is supported by newly developed scientific evidence. It is precisely this route that is at issue in the January 2026 EFSA opinion discussed below.
A new positive scientific opinion on oat beta-glucans
The Swedish industrial research centre ScanOats submitted a health claim for authorisation pursuant to article 13(5) of the Claims Regulation. The health claim was submitted via the Competent Authority of Ireland, and the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of this claim relating to oat beta-glucans and the reduction of postprandial glucose peaks. In its opinion, the EFSA Panel concludes that a cause-and-effect relationship has been established between the consumption of oat beta-glucans and the reduction of postprandial blood glucose peaks. In doing so, the Panel delivers a positive scientific opinion: a crucial step in the authorisation process, though formal authorisation remains with the European Commission.
How does this claim differ from the 2012 authorised health claim?
In its current opinion, the EFSA Panel considers that the following wording reflects the scientific evidence: ‘Consumption of beta-glucans from oats contributes to the reduction of the glucose peak after a meal’. This wording differs from the health claim that was already authorised back in 2012, which reads: ‘Consumption of beta-glucans from oats or barley as part of a meal contributes to the reduction of the blood glucose rise after that meal’. The difference is scientifically and legally significant. Also, the current claim seems easier to understand for the average consumer and, from a commercial point of view, is therefore more attractive.
The first claim focused on the overall rise and fall of glucose over time. The current claim focuses specifically on how high the blood sugar spike gets at its highest point. Because this concerns a different, more precise endpoint supported by new scientific evidence, a fresh authorisation procedure was required.
In order to bear the current claim, food or meals should contain at least 30 grams of available carbohydrates per portion and at least 3 grams of beta-glucans from oats for each 30 grams of available carbohydrates.
Status of this 2026 opinion
It is important to note that a scientific opinion of the EFSA Panel is not an authorisation yet. Following a positive EFSA opinion, the European Commission must still draw up a draft implementing regulation to add the claim to the EU register of permitted health claims. That proposal goes through a comitology procedure involving the Member States, after which the Commission formally adopts and publishes the regulation in the Official Journal of the EU. Only at that point is the claim officially authorised and may it lawfully appear on product labels.
The field is in full development
This latest development illustrates that the field of nutrition and health claims in the EU is far from static. New science can open doors that were previously closed, provided the evidence meets EFSA’s demanding standards. This 2026 opinion on oat beta-glucans is a prime example: built on 16 human intervention studies, it has cleared that bar under the demanding article 13(5) route. Successful article 13(5) applications are rare, but this EFSA opinion is a reminder that the route exists and that it can work. The next steps are now in the hands of the European Commission. For manufacturers, regulators and legal practitioners alike, this is a development worth following closely.
Image is by freepik.