Chia seeds receive EU novel food status
Posted - June 6, 2009
Chia seeds receive EU novel food status
By Lucia Lorente
After years of strong commitment and a considerable investment, Benexia™ Chia Seed has finally received Novel Food status in the European Union. Benexia™, the brand given to chia ( Salvia Hispanica L) cultivated in Argentina and Bolivia, and marketed by the Chilean firm Functional Products Trading S.A. ,received approval for use in bread application at a maximum level of 5 percent. Further applications are on their way to allow Benexia™ Chia Seed and its by-products access to other industries in the EU market.
The novel legislation (EC) 258/97 of January 27, 1997 refers to the introduction of foods or ingredients not present in the EU market to a significant degree before the entry into force of the Regulation in May 1997. The dossier was introduced in 2006 by the Columbus Paradigm Institute S.A. in collaboration with Functional Products Trading S.A.
“It is a major breakthrough to finally permit Chia in the European market, as they have been enjoyed in other countries” , says Sandra Gillot, ceo of Functional Products Trading S.A in the city of Santiago. But this is just the beginning, advices Gillot, the company and its trading partners expect strong promotion of the amazing health benefits contained in these tiny seeds in the EU and elsewhere. The Benexia™ line includes chia seeds sold in bulk and pre packed for retail sale, chia bran, chia oil, chia soft gel capsules and chia ALA powder (dehydrated chia oil) sold already throughout Latin America, the United States, Canada and Asian countries, says marketing manager Anne Keller.
A summer annual plant from the mint family and ancient sacred food widely cultivated in the Aztec Empire during Pre-colonial times, Chia is a high-energy, endurance food, and one of the richest plant sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. It is known that Omega 3 lowers cholesterol and supports the immune nervous and cardiovascular systems. Chia seeds also contain antioxidants, dietary fibre, minerals and protein.
Functional Product S.A. was created as a farmer initiative that took part in a project sponsored by public and private U.S. and Argentinean organizations, to identify and produce alternative crops at an industrial scale. The goal was to improve the economy for farmers in Argentina’s north western region. The Chia seed was chosen because of its exceptional nutritional properties. Functional Products Trading S.A. was created to market Chia seeds under the Benexia™ brand.
Today Functional Product S.A. claims to be the world’s largest and most effective producer of chia. Gillot says the company currently has over 3,500 hectares in active production. “It has been an arduous process”, she says. “We had a great product and land, but to really take off with large scale production, there was need for serious investors and a market to secure the future of the crops”.
Banks refused to lend funds and some interested parties did not have enough capital, until Gillot met Dean Mosca, president of Proprietary Nutritionals Inc. (PNI), a subsidiary of Pharmachem Laboratories, Inc. based in New Jersey, USA. PNI specializes in brand building for the nutritional supplement and functional food industries. “PNI really understood the magnitude of the project”, says Gillot. “I never heard about chia seeds before”, says Mosca. “I was astonished to see its amazing nutritional value; it has more antioxidants per gram than blueberries”.
The goal of PNI is to develop patentable ingredients and this is exactly the potential they saw in Benexia™ Chia Seed. The gluten-free grain can be ground into flour for baking or added to different formulations for the food and beverage industries. “We already have patent on an isolate protein and a soluble chia oil powder “, says Mosca.
Benexia™ Chia Seed is grown under Good Agricultural Practices (GLOBAL-GAP), and carefully selected under GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and has achieved HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) international quality standards. “We also believe in sustainability and social responsibility”, says Gillot. “We have now some land in the process of organic certification. The company is also considering Fair Trade certification, especially for the project in Bolivia.
Whether organic, Fair Trade or produced under GLOBAL GAP, one thing is clear: in the grain category chia seeds are the next rising star of ancient superfoods and soon Europeans will also discover the many health benefits of these tiny seeds.
