EFSA OKs Benexia Chia Seed as Novel Food

KEARNY, N.J.The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) granted Benexia Chia Seed Novel Food status in the EU for use at a level of 5 percent in bread application. Plans now are underway to expand the applications permitted as well as the Chia products that can be used. Currently the only Chia seed permissible for sale in the EU, Benexia seed will stay in the forefront of approved applications and types of Chia products that can be sold.

The dossier was first introduced by Robert Craig & Sons in 2003, but the EFSA gave an inconclusive opinion in 2005, asking for more toxicological and allergenicity information on the seed. The dossier was transferred and re-introduced in 2006 by the Columbus Paradigm Institute S.A. (CPI) in collaboration with a Chilean company, Functional Products Trading S.A. (FPT), which grows and commercializes the Benexia Chia Seed.

The popularity of whole grains is opening up doors for more novel, flavorful and lesser known types of grain as ingredient for the food industry, said Dean Mosca, president of Proprietary Nutritionals, Inc., exclusive marketer of Benexia Chia Seed. The newest star to emerge in the world of ancient grains is Chia.

Benexia Chia Seed is the only quality-certified Chia on the market:  grown under Good Agricultural Practices (GLOBAL-GAP), and carefully selected under GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), it has also achieved HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) international food-safety standards. The sustainability of the Benexia Chia production is one of the main concerns of the company FPT S.A.  

Cultivated by the ancient Aztecs as a high-energy, endurance food, Chia is one of the richest plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to promote cardiovascular health. It also contains high levels of fiber, easy-to-digest protein, amino acids, vitamins, calcium and other minerals.