Nutritional science for mind health products
DSM Nutritional Products
The approval will give the firm significant opportunity to drive revenue growth, with plant sterol sales in Europe predicted by Frost & Sullivan analysts to grow at a rate of 15 per cent annually until 2010.
The European market approval represents a significant milestone for the small company, which is expecting the ingredient, extracted from by-products of the forestry industry, to sell well in the region owing to its non-GM status. Most other plant sterols are made from soy.
Last year Forbes began work to increase the capacity of its manufacturing joint venture, Texas-based Phyto-Source, by 50 per cent, in anticipation of increased demand when it gained a positive opinion from Europe.
The company is planning to file a substantial equivalence notification letter with the EU commission to clear use of the ingredient in other food groups. It did not elaborate on which foods these would be.
Without the requirement for scientific evaluation on use in additional food groups, notifications are expected to be cleared in a relatively short time.
The European market for products that fight cholesterol has seen rapid growth this year, following clearance from Europe's novel foods regulators for the use of plant sterols in a number of food categories.
Major yoghurt maker Danone has also entered the scene, with marketing camapaigns to support its Danacol yoghurts and fermented drink set to significantly boost consumer awareness of the benefits of such products.