DSA Endorsement Logo

Understanding the DSA Endorsement Logo

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We are sure many have wondered exactly how certain food products get the DSA Endorsement Logo. With that, we explain the procedure and specifications needed.

Any food product which has the DSA Endorsement Logo on it, is deemed diabetic friendly and is safe for people living with diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2) to consume in the recommended serving size.

The DSA Endorsement Logo is a third-party verification that the endorsed product does meet the strict specifications to carry the logo.

The purpose is to assist people with diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, or those who wish to follow a healthy eating plan. The diabetes endorsement has been running for 20 years. The endorsement page  supplies a list of products which have been approved to assist anyone when doing their shopping.

GIFSA

The Glycemic Foundation of South Africa (GIFSA) is the dedicated service provider that handles this procedure, from application, nutritional evaluation, testing of the products’ Glycaemic Index when applicable and finally conclude an Endorsement Agreement. Both DSA and GIFSA are official government-approved endorsement entities in terms of Regulation 146. GIFSA have had good success in managing their own GIFSA Endorsement Logo programme for 25 years.

The DSA Endorsement Logo process is done in tandem with the GIFSA Frequent Foods (very low GI) and GIFSA Often Foods (low GI) logos.

DSA Endorsement Logo
FREQUENT FOODS are very low fat, low GI products. The mark means that the product has been tested and found to have minimal effects on blood glucose, blood cholesterol and/or blood pressure levels. In addition, the product is virtually fat free, is manufactured from ingredients considered to be free of health risks and so may be eaten freely. What distinguishes this product from the ‘green group’ is the fact that it is aimed at the health-conscious and those who follow a fat-free or extremely low-fat diet. The Diabetes South Africa endorsement is done in tandem with the Frequent Foods logo.
DSA Endorsement Logo
OFTEN FOODS are low fat, low GI products. The ‘green’ mark certifies that the product has a minimal effect on blood glucose, cholesterol and/or blood pressure levels. The product contains ingredients considered to be healthy when eaten in normal amounts. These products pose no risk to health even to those suffering from diseases of lifestyle. The Diabetes South Africa endorsement is done in tandem with the Frequent Foods and Often Foods logos.

How do these classifications work?

There are specifications for types of foods and they are evaluated according to how suitable they are for use by people living with diabetes and other lifestyle diseases. Foods are rated according to their effect on overall health in respect of blood glucose response (GI and GL), total fat, saturated fat, sodium, fibre, and sugar content.

The evaluation and grading specifications have been developed through consultation with nutritional experts and is approved by the Department of Health and Welfare.

View or download the nutritional specifications for endorsed foodstuffs.

GI Testing and Endorsement Procedure

The DSA Endorsement Logo is available at a reasonable cost to any food and drink manufacturer who wishes to have a product labelled, provided the product complies with the specifications. The DSA specifications also include a specification for sugar content.

The process to obtain DSA endorsement typically takes place in four steps.

  1. Evaluation and Assessment

The product is evaluated against the specifications. Note, there are different specifications for all the different food categories.

GIFSA would need the product formulation which they use to do an evaluation and theoretical GI and nutritional calculation. All information is strictly confidential, and a non-disclosure  agreement is signed. The initial evaluation cost is R1 380 (excluding VAT). Follow-up calculations, after changes to the formula may be necessary, is R690 (excluding VAT), but is often not needed. 

  1. Nutritional Analyses

After the initial assessment, nutritional analyses are needed and can be done by The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Microchem, Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), or another laboratory. Specifically, important is to get the glycaemic carbohydrate value for the product. The cost would be about R7 500 (once-off). 

  1. GI Testing

GIFSA would then do a Glycaemic Index test on human subjects after receiving samples of the product if applicable. GIFSA’s once-off fee for testing is R14 200 (excluding VAT). There is usually a waiting period of a couple of weeks or months depending upon their testing schedule. 

Testing for the GI of a given food is done on real people, eating real food and taking actual blood glucose readings. A GI test team typically consists of at least 10 people. Only healthy individuals are allowed in a test team, in accordance with ISO 26642:2010 . 

You can read more on the testing.

  1. Endorsement Agreement

If the product meets all the specifications, the manufacturer may opt to participate in the endorsement programme. The fee is R9 700 (excluding VAT) per product annually for the DSA logo. Discounts are given for product ranges.

A contract is signed which fixes the fee for three years and allows GIFSA to hold the manufacturer accountable for the formula of the product.

DSA Endorsement Logo

Find out more about more about GIFSA.

Did you know that all flavours of Futurelife© Zero Smart Food™ are endorsed by Diabetes South Africa?

To help you understand how it got the DSA Endorsement Logo, we have outlined the criteria for you using Futurelife© Zero Smart Food™ as an example.