Health Canada okays Lallemand’s vitamin D2 yeast

April 7, 2011, Montreal – Health Canada has granted Interim Marketing Authorization (IMA) for Lallemand’s vitamin D2 yeast, confirming permission to use the yeast to increase the vitamin D content of yeast-leavened baked goods to a maximum level of 2.25 micrograms (mcg) or 90 international units (IU) of vitamin D per 100 grams.

The IMA will allow Canadian bakers to claim their products as a daily source of vitamin D. In order to make that claim, a product must contain a minimum of five per cent of the Recommended Daily Intake of vitamin D per serving. The % Daily Value of the added vitamin D must also be declared in a products Nutrition Facts table.

Following the release of the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations on Nov. 30, 2010, the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for vitamin D was increased from 200 to 600 IU (five to 15 mcg) per day for children and most adults, and from 400 to 800 IU (10 to 20 mcg) for adults over 70, assuming minimal sun exposure. For more details on the updated Canadian Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D, please visit the Health Canada website.

Given the limited availability of food sources of vitamin D, these new recommendations make it more difficult for Canadians to meet their vitamin D requirement with food alone.

“Since new dietary sources of vitamin D are needed, the IMA gives the baking industry a golden opportunity to offer a solution to this problem,” stated Lallamend in a press release. “Lallemand yeasts (Eagle, Lallemand, Instaferm, Vita D Plus) are a natural and vegetarian source of vitamin D, enabling bakers to naturally enhance the vitamin D content of their baked goods, and bread in particular. This will positively impact on the intake of this important nutrient by making much of the daily bread in Canada a ‘daily source’ of vitamin D.”