Lallemand may market VitaD baker’s yeast, says EU

July 4, 2014, Montreal – The European Commission has
authorized Lallemand to market its VitaD baker’s yeast as a source of vitamin
D.

July 4, 2014, Montreal – The European Commission has
authorized Lallemand to market its VitaD baker’s yeast as a source of vitamin
D. 

Following the European Food Safety Authority’s earlier
positive recommendation in June, the European Commission has granted marketing
authorization for Lallemand’s VitaD baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).

According to an Angus Reid survey conducted in 2012 for
Lallemand in nine countries across Europe, 84 per cent of European consumers
believe vitamin D plays a great role in maintaining or improving their health.
This survey also offers a glimpse into European consumers’ views on vitamin D:

• The most common health benefits European consumers associate
  with vitamin D are protection against osteoporosis and fracture risk (48 per
  cent), followed by cardiovascular disease (20 per cent) and influenza (20 per
  cent).
• Food sources European consumers associated with vitamin D
  were cod liver oil (41 per cent), followed by salmon (38 per cent) and milk (34
  per cent).

“Since many Europeans are not meeting their needs for
vitamin D and new dietary sources are needed, the European Commission’s
approval now gives the baking industry a unique opportunity to offer a solution
to enhance the healthy attributes of bread, benefiting from the growing
consumer awareness of the importance of vitamin D to the maintenance of the
immune system and bone health, as recognized by EFSA,” said Gert Steenkamp,
president and general manager of Lallemand Yeast Group’s EMEA division, in a
news release.

There are only a few natural food sources of vitamin D, said
the release, which explains why at least one-third of the world’s population is
deficient in vitamin D. In Europe, the EFSA estimates that a large percentage
of the population does not meet the recommended daily allowances of 10
micrograms (μg) per day. In 2012, the mean percentile intake of vitamin D from
foods among young children varied from 1.7 to 5.6 μg/day, and from 1.6 to 4.0
μg/day in adolescents. For adults, estimates of vitamin D mean intake from
foods varied from 1.1 to 8.2 μg /day. Read the report.

The EFSA has approved a number of health claims for vitamin
D, which are only granted to nutrients following a rigorous evaluation process.
These health claims are related to the importance of vitamin D to the normal
absorption of calcium and to the maintenance of healthy bones and teeth but
also include the recent discovery of the crucial importance of vitamin D to the
function of the immune system.

Lallemand baker’s yeasts are available in North America and
South Africa and will soon also be available throughout Europe.