Australia, New Zealand approve first soy protein heart-health claim

A new heart-health claim for isolated soy protein gave brands in Australia and New Zealand a clearer way to turn regulation into product strategy, and it did so with a narrow but powerful condition: consumers must eat 20 to 25 grams a day, as part of a healthy, balanced diet, for the product to carry a claim that it supports healthy blood cholesterol levels.

IFF said the approval, accepted by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, was the first heart-health claim for soy protein in Australia and New Zealand. That matters well beyond the wording itself. In a market where label language can influence reformulation budgets, shelf positioning and long-term brand architecture, a formal permission like this can make soy easier to defend inside product briefs and easier to explain to shoppers.

The claim sits inside a tightly controlled regulatory framework. FSANZ health claims fall under Standard 1.2.7 of the Food Standards Code, and high-level claims must be tied to a pre-approved food-health relationship listed in Schedule 4. New relationships go through an assessment that includes a systematic review of the evidence, which makes the soy decision more than a marketing win. It is a formal regulatory green light that can now shape packaging, advertising and product development across the region.

IFF said the approval was backed by a multi-year research collaboration involving IFF, the Soy Nutrition Institute Global, the U.S. Soybean Export Council, researchers from Australia and the University of Toronto. The company also said isolated soy protein is a 90% plant-based, high-quality complete protein with all nine essential amino acids, and that it already fits beverages, dairy alternatives, nutrition bars, snacks and plant-based foods. Those are the categories most likely to benefit first, because they already rely on protein-led positioning and can adopt a cholesterol-support message without reinventing the product.

The broader competitive question is whether soy has now gained an edge over pea and other plant proteins. USSEC said similar soy-heart-health claims already exist in the United States, Canada and Japan, while industry commentary has pointed to the high prevalence of abnormal blood lipid levels in Australia and New Zealand as a reason the message could resonate. That history cuts both ways: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed revoking its soy protein and heart-disease claim in 2017 after later studies produced inconsistent findings. Even so, the ANZ approval gives soy a fresh commercial advantage, and brands that move early could use it to sharpen both health messaging and product differentiation.