Tate & Lyle ingredients receive positive opinion in new EFSA ruling on general function health claims

Lille, France - Tate & Lyle’s sugar replacement ingredients polydextrose and sucralose have received positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for ‘reduction of post prandial blood glucose response’ and ‘maintenance of tooth mineralisation’ health claims.

Tate & Lyle welcomes the news on April 8, in the published result of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) evaluation of a fourth series of ‘general function’ health claims submitted for use on food and drink products (EFSA Journal 2011;9(4):2076). These claims will now proceed through the remainder of the regulatory process for authorizing health claims in Europe.

The EFSA Panel concluded that reduced sugar products containing polydextrose and/or sucralose can reduce post-prandial blood glucose responses when compared to traditional full-sugar food and drinks.

Furthermore, EFSA has stated that food and drink products that are consumed daily and include sucralose and/or polydextrose in place of sugar can decrease tooth demineralisation when compared with sugar-containing foods and drinks.

Significantly, this opinion will help inform future decisions of the European Commission and member states as part of the process of authorizing health claims in Europe.

Caroline Sanders, Global Marketing & Communication Director, Tate & Lyle Speciality Food Ingredients, said: “STA-LITE® Poyldextrose and SPLENDA® Sucralose have both been successfully used in the development of sugar-reduced products in a wide range of food and drink categories. This confirmation from the European Food Safety Authority on the science behind our ingredients is an important step to allowing Tate & Lyle‘s food and drink manufacturer clients to communicate the health benefits, in turn allowing consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions.”

Notes to Editors:

The complete publication from EFSA is available at : http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2076.htm

About Tate & Lyle’s STA-LITE® Polydextrose

With only 1 kcal/gram, STA-LITE® Polydextrose is a premium, low calorie bulking agent used to provide body and texture in reduced calorie, no added sugar and/or high fibre foods. Polydextrose is also a soluble fibre with prebiotic properties that is very well tolerated, has a low glycemic response, is clean tasting and easy to use. Its process stability enables manufacturers to develop new healthier versions of a wide range of foods and beverage products at a low cost-in-use. The ingredient is available in liquid and powder form and is made in Tate & Lyle’s starch plant in the Netherlands. For more information about STA-LITE® polydextrose, visit www.yourpolydextrose.com/keepinshape/

About Tate & Lyle’s SPLENDA® Sucralose

Tate & Lyle’s SPLENDA® Sucralose is made from sugar, tastes like sugar, but it’s not sugar. SPLENDA® Sucralose comprehensively outperforms all the high-intensity sweeteners on the market through its unique combination of taste, versatility and stability – making it the best choice to help manufacturers seize the market opportunity for tastier, healthier, lower-calorie foods and beverages. For more information about SPLENDA® Sucralose, visit www.sucralose.com

About Tate & Lyle:

Tate & Lyle is a global provider of ingredients and solutions to the food, beverage and other industries, operating from over 30 production facilities around the world. Through our large-scale, efficient manufacturing plants, we turn raw materials into distinctive, high quality ingredients for our customers. Our ingredients and solutions add taste, texture, nutrition and increased functionality to products that millions of people around the world use or consume every day.

Tate & Lyle’s range of leading branded food ingredients includes SPLENDA® Sucralose, PROMITOR™ Dietary Fiber and STA-LITE® Polydextrose. Tate & Lyle also produces branded industrial ingredients including Bio-PDO™, Ethylex® and Sta-Lok® paper starches; and staple ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, ethanol, citric acid and basic starches. In addition to providing a wide range of ingredients our Innovation and Commercial Development Group supports customers by providing product development, technical advice and proprietary consumer insight studies.

Tate & Lyle is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol TATE.L. American Depositary Receipts trade under TATYY. In the year to 31 March 2010, Tate & Lyle employed 5,666 people in its subsidiaries and joint ventures, and sales totalled £3.50 billion. http://www.tateandlyle.com.

SPLENDA® is a trademark of McNeil Nutritionals, LLC