Starch
What it is
Starch is a carbohydrate made of long chains of glucose. Plants use it to store energy, and it is naturally present in foods such as cereals, potatoes, rice, pasta and pulses.
Why BOTIA flags it
When starch is declared in a nutrition table, it helps explain part of the carbohydrate content. It is also important to distinguish nutritional starch from modified starches listed as ingredients, which are used for technological purposes.
BOTIA CAN
- Read the starch value when it is declared on the nutrition label and preserve its unit and basis.
- Distinguish starch declared as a nutritional value from modified starches identified in the ingredient list.
- Connect the declared value with the applicable regulatory information and documented evidence where relevant.
BOTIA CANNOT
- Calculate starch by subtracting sugars from total carbohydrate.
- Determine the botanical source of the starch when the label does not state it.
- Treat an undeclared starch value as zero.