The announcement allows for the lawful sale of the weight management ingredient Slendesta as a food ingredient at specific inclusion levels, without those finished products having to go through the pre-market notification process.
“We are very excited and pleased with this new designation for Slendesta in Canada,” said Linda Fullmer, senior vice president of marketing for Kemin Health. “This allows us to promote Slendesta to food manufacturers who are looking to launch products that address the growing shopper demand for foods and drinks with safe functional ingredients.
“In addition, our customers in Canada will be able to get to market faster since they don’t need to go through a pre-market notification process,” she added.
Slendesta is produced from US grown white potatoes. The benefits of the ingredient are reported to be related to the proteinase inhibitor II (PI2), a protein naturally found in white potatoes. The ingredient, when taken one hour before taking a main meal, is said to enhance the body's own release of cholecystotinin (CCK), an appetite-suppressing hormone that work by delaying the emptying of the stomach (gastric emptying) and thereby promoting the feeling of fullness.
The conclusions by the Food Directorate of Health Canada were based on a comprehensive review of safety data and other related information on Slendesta, submitted by Kemin, including its composition, manufacturing process and scientific evidence. A letter of non-objection has been received from Health Canada, confirming that Slendesta is not considered a Novel Food.
Beyond Canadian borders, the ingredient is not considered a novel food in Europe, and is GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) in the US.
A number of clinical trials have been performed with Slendesta. Combined with diet and exercise, Slendesta supplementation has helped people control their hunger and lose weight without the unpleasant side effects of some weight management ingredients.