The Green Kiwifruit Gets Official EU Health Tick And a Whole New Identity as a Pure Functional Fruit

EU Recogised Green Kiwifruit as Functional Food

In a move blending science, Brussels bureaucracy, and digestive relief, the European Commission has officially approved a health claim giving green kiwifruit a new lease on life, as a certified gut-friendly food.

As of 30 July 2025, the claim, “consumption of green kiwifruit contributes to normal bowel function by increasing stool frequency” can now legally appear on green kiwifruit products across all EU member states. The regulation – EU 2025/1560 – marks a significant moment for the fruit industry, as it elevates the humble green kiwi into the rarified air of science-backed functional foods.

This isn’t influencer nonsense or some dusty naturopath’s food bible. The claim was greenlit by EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) after reviewing clinical studies proving a cause-and-effect relationship between eating green kiwifruit and increasing bowel movements. The original EFSA opinion, published in 2021, pointed to consistent trial data showing that two to four Hayward green kiwifruits per day improved stool frequency and often consistency, without causing diarrhoea.

The secret sauce? It’s all about dietary fibre, water-holding properties, and a clever little enzyme called actinidin, which helps digestion tick along smoothly.

Under the regulation, only whole or cut fresh green kiwifruit may carry the claim and only when consumers are informed that at least 200 grams of kiwi flesh (roughly two medium fruits) must be eaten daily to achieve the effect.

While golden, red, and hybrid kiwifruit varieties have stolen the limelight, often prioritised in premium supermarket space thanks to sweetness and shelf appeal, none carry an EFSA-approved health claim. That sets green kiwifruit apart in a crowded produce section, offering something its colourful cousins don’t and this is, evidence-backed function.

This distinction could mark a turning point for Zespri International, the New Zealand-based giant which submitted the application, as it carves out a niche for “green kiwi for gut health” in a world hooked on powders, pills, and probiotics.

Source: PFN Ai Archives - Depictions of Zespri Gut Health Supplements and fruit.

In a health market increasingly crowded by synthetic functional products, green kiwifruit stands almost alone as a whole fruit with officially recognised digestive benefits. No reconstituted pulp. No added inulin. Just nature and a certificate from Brussels.

And while most functional food health claims are locked up in proprietary powders or processed blends, green kiwi’s claim is open-access, making it fair game for any EU market operator who plays by the labelling rules.

PFN’s take? The green kiwifruit has never been the beauty queen. It’s fuzzy, tart, and forever playing sidekick to its shiny golden siblings. But this latest health claim might just give it the comeback of the decade, positioning it as the go-to natural digestive aid in a world increasingly constipated by processed food.

The key here is, no other kiwifruit variety can legally make the same claim. So next time you’re browsing produce, don’t be surprised if green starts taking back shelf space, one bowel movement at a time.

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