HFT News
Cargill to begin marketing sterol esters to food manufacturers
MINNEAPOLIS -- Cargill announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a letter of no objections to the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status of sterol esters, clearing the way for Cargill to market the ingredient for use in various food products.
Sterol esters is a natural product derived from soy that has been shown to aid in cholesterol reduction when consumed daily.
"Cargill is the first to receive a formal notification of non-objection to the use of sterol esters for four food categories in the U.S. market - spreads, dressings, yogurts and bars. Other notifications cover only spreads," said David Henstrom, commercial director for Cargill's Nutraceuticals business. "With the recent health claim approval on sterol esters, we see an expanding opportunity to deliver the health benefits of sterol esters in new food products."
Several products containing sterol esters already can be found on grocery shelves worldwide, including Lipton's Take Control™ margarine spreads in the United States and MeadowLea Foods Ltd.'s Logicol™ family of margarine spreads, dressings, mayonnaise and milk products sold in Australia and New Zealand.
Cargill Nutraceuticals, based in Minneapolis, is a leading developer, processor and marketer of science-based, healthy ingredients for food and dietary supplements worldwide. Cargill is an international marketer, processor and distributor of agricultural, food, financial and industrial products and services with 85,000 employees in 60 countries. The company provides distinctive customer solutions in supply chain management, food applications and health and nutrition.