Six players – Danone, Raisio, Unilever, Cargill, BASF and Arboris – have formed a group to propel cholesterol-lowering plant stanols and sterols science into the media and policy spotlights to raise awareness of the multi-billion global euro category.
France’s food safety agency (ANSES) has put itself at scientific odds with the EU’s central food science authority by concluding data is lacking to back plant sterols and stanols for cholesterol reduction.
Higher doses of plant stanols and sterols are equally effective at reducing cholesterol in susceptible individuals, a European Commission meeting has ruled despite stanols players claiming the scientific consensus shows their version is more efficacious.
Finnish plant stanol leader and Benecol brand owner Raisio says plant sterol users like rival Unilever (pro.activ) are piggybacking off stanol science in high-dose products and wants the EU to mount separate reviews of the cholesterol-busting nutrients.
Plant sterol and stanol consumption by those like children who do not have raised cholesterol could itself lead to heart problems, the German foods safety agency has said.
Cargill plans to use next month's Health Ingredients Europe event
to unveil a number of products that food and beverage manufacturers
can use in future product launches.
The UK's Food Standards Agency has received an application for a
phytosterols ingredient to be approved as 'substantially
equivalent' to one already on the market.
An innovative technology that allows for the addition of both plant
sterols and minerals to foods has won the backing of leading US
food manufacturer General Mills, which has licensed the product for
use in a range of foods.
