CardioAid plant sterols now cleared for inclusion in many new food categories
ADM announced today that the Food and Drug Administration has issued it
a letter which greatly expands the GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe)
categories of its cholesterol-reducing CardioAid™ plant sterols. As a
result, food companies now have a newly expanded range of food products
which can be fortified with CardioAid™ plant sterols.
“Until today, the range of food products which could be fortified under
GRAS status with plant sterols was very narrow,” said Steven J. Furcich,
President ADM Natural Health & Nutrition. “However, ADM’s letter from
the FDA now allows food companies to incorporate CardioAid brand sterols
into many of their other consumer products. No other sterol ingredient
available today has been evaluated for so many new GRAS food categories.”
Food companies can now look at incorporating CardioAid ™ plant sterols
into mayonnaise; dressings for salad; pasta and noodles; healthy
beverages; sauces; healthy bars; salty snacks; milktype products,
including processed soups; puddings; soy milk, ice cream and cream
substitutes; adult confections; yogurt; vegetarian meat analogs; cheese
and cream; edible vegetable oil (home use); adult ready-to-eat breakfast
cereals; and fruit/vegetable juices.
Presently, the NIH (National Institute of Health) through the National
Cholesterol Education Program suggests that Americans consider plant
sterols as a therapeutic lifestyle change for reducing cholesterol. And
a 2003 review published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings states that eating
foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in sterols can
reduce LDL cholesterol by 20 percent. ADM’s CardioAid plant sterols
provide an effective, dietary method for countering elevated
cholesterol, a crisis facing 105 million Americans.
In 2000, FDA authorized a coronary heart disease (CHD) health claim for
plant sterol and plant stanol esters. This interim rule reflected the
agency’s conclusion that sterol and stanol esters may reduce CHD risk by
decreasing blood cholesterol levels as part of a diet low in saturated
fat and cholesterol. CHD kills more Americans than any other disease,
according to the Center for Disease Control. Foods that carry the claim
also must meet requirements for low saturated fat and low cholesterol.
In addition, these foods also must contain no more than 13 grams of
total fat per serving and per 50 grams.
Consequently, food companies can now take advantage of the FDA’s
permitted health claim on product labels and in their marketing
materials for a newly expanded range of food products. For customers
around the world, ADM draws on its resources – its people, products and
market perspective – to help customers meet today’s consumer demands and
envision tomorrow’s needs.
About ADM
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is a world leader in agricultural
processing. ADM is one of the world's largest processors of soybeans,
corn, wheat and cocoa. ADM is also a leader in the production of soy
meal and oil, ethanol, corn sweeteners and flour. In addition, ADM
produces value-added food and feed ingredients. Headquartered in
Decatur, Illinois, ADM has over 25,000 employees, more than 250
processing plants and net sales for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005
of $35.9 billion. Additional information can be found on ADM's Web site
at www.adm.com.
ADM Media Relations
217/424-5413
media@adm.com