In September, the Food and Drug Administration concluded that plant sterol and stanol esters may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol levels, giving food manufacturers permission to label products containing these substances with this claim. A food must contain at least 0.65 grams of plant sterol esters or at least 1.7 grams of plant stanol esters per serving to qualify for the health claim. The claim also specifies that dietary intake of plant sterol esters or plant stanol esters should be consumed in two servings at different times of the day and in conjunction with other foods. In addition, foods carrying this claim must meet the requirements for “low saturated fat” and “low cholesterol,” and must contain no more than 13 grams of total fat per serving and per 50 grams.
More recently, the FDA authorized the health claim concerning the inverse relationship between dietary intake of potassium and the risk of stroke. Food products carrying the claim must contain at least 350 mg of potassium, no more than 140 mg of sodium, and must be “low in fat,” “low in saturated fat” and “low in cholesterol.”
