Health claim for Skane cholesterol-lowering cheese

Sweden's voluntary health claims code has approved a claim for a
cholesterol-lowering cheese made by dairy firm Skanemejerier.

Called Hjärtans Lust (Heart's Desire), the product has been sold under the product name Julia in Finland since 1999 but is set for launch on the Swedish market this autumn.

Skanemejerier already has a health claim for its probiotic juice ProViva and the PrimaLiv brand yoghurt, containing heart healthy oats. The product is the first cheese to gain an approved health claim in Sweden.

Sweden allows the use of a number of established generic health claims on foods but product specific claims are evaluated by a panel of experts for the Swedish Nutrition Foundation (SNF) under an industry self-regulated programme launched two years ago.

The new claim for Skane's cheese, which contains pressed rapeseed oil instead of milk fat, notes that it 'contributes to lower cholesterol values'.

A study demonstrating this effect was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2002 (vol 56, pp 1094-1101).