Benexia chia oil wins EU novel foods approval

By Anna Bonar

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags European union

“This decision has opened a new doors for us, for example the supplement market as for example the chia seeds can’t be included in dietary supplements,” said Aurelie Vromaine, product manager at Ingredia.
“This decision has opened a new doors for us, for example the supplement market as for example the chia seeds can’t be included in dietary supplements,” said Aurelie Vromaine, product manager at Ingredia.
The European Commission has approved Benexia chia oil as a novel food for use in food supplements and in place of other plant fats and oils in foods and drink applications.

According to the ruling, the omega-3 rich chia oil can now be incorporated into a range of food and beverage applications replacing up to 10% of plant oils and in food supplements (2g/day). The Benexia oil is distributed in Europe by Ingredia Nutritional, the company that first brought chia seeds to Europe.

The decision was made at the standing committee on plants, animals, food and feed held in Brussels on 17 October 2014. The report from the meeting stated: “The Commission representative presented the draft Implementing Decision to authorise chia oil (Salvia hispanica) as a novel food ingredient.

The following vote gave the positive opinion authorising the chia oil to be used in the European market as a novel food ingredient under Regulation (EC) No 258/97.

chia-seeds1-free

“This decision has opened a new doors for us, for example the supplement market as for example the chia seeds can’t be included in dietary supplements,” ​said Aurelie Vromaine, product manager at Ingredia.

A long process

“We knew for several months that it was going to get the approval as we already got the positive opinion from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK, so it was just the formality to get the green light from other countries,”​ said Vromaine.

“We are very happy that we finally got the positive opinion, as we’ve worked on it for the last 2.5 years. Now if any competitors would like to follow us they would have to file a dossier, which usually takes about a year, so we need to make the most of this time,”​ she added.

Benexia chia oil is obtained through the cold pressing of the seed and is free from contaminants, claims the company.

Related news

Related products

show more

GET GREEN FASTER: Low-CI Dextrose/Glucose Syrups

GET GREEN FASTER: Low-CI Dextrose/Glucose Syrups

Content provided by Green Plains Inc. | 01-Mar-2024 | Data Sheet

Elevate your products with Green Plains’ premium, low carbon-intensity corn syrups. Drop-in replacements with an up to 40% lower carbon footprint than...

Efficacy of OLESSENCE™ B Liquid Natural Flavouring

Efficacy of OLESSENCE™ B Liquid Natural Flavouring

Content provided by Kemin Food Technologies | 26-Feb-2024 | Case Study

The main challenge with baked goods today is the prevention of oxidative rancidity with natural alternatives while maintaining the quality, freshness,...

Bun quality issues? Let us help

Bun quality issues? Let us help

Content provided by Corbion | 03-Jan-2024 | Insight Guide

Most bakeries occasionally struggle with bun quality, from low product volume to crust issues and grain/cell problems. The good news is that most bun quality...

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars