Green kiwi gets the health tick

Green kiwifruit is the first fresh fruit ever to receive an authorised health claim from the European Commission, marking a breakthrough for Zespri and the wider fresh produce industry.

“This milestone is not only a first for Zespri but for the entire fresh produce industry,” says CEO Jason Te Brake.

“The EU Commission’s recognition of green kiwifruit’s role in digestive health reflects one of the ways we are helping people thrive through the goodness of kiwifruit.

“The approval not only validates Zespri’s health and innovation programme, it also delivers tangible value to the industry and reflects the hard work of our green growers to produce nutritious, great-tasting kiwifruit.”

Zespri fully funded the application process and most of the key research submitted in the scientific substantiation, committing over 15 years to documenting the benefits of green kiwifruit.

The approval follows the submission of a comprehensive scientific dossier in 2018 which included 18 human intervention studies, six of which ultimately were considered as a strong basis for proving the effect of green kiwifruit on intestinal function.

This authorisation is among only three health claims approved by the European Commission in the past five years, following a rigorous evaluation process in which only less than one out of eight claims submitted receive approval.

With this new authorisation, Zespri will begin integrating the health claim into its European communications.

Te Brake says the claim demonstrates the critical value of investing in health and nutrition science—both to build trust in the fresh category and to unlock further growth and demand for green kiwifruit.

In 2024/25, Zespri supplied a total of 220.9 million trays (Zespri Green, Zespri RubyRed and Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit) to more than 50 markets.

Known for its high quality and sweet/sour taste, Zespri Green kiwifruit is packed with essential nutrients including vitamins, minerals and is rich in dietary fibre.