Flaxseed applies for Health Canada cholesterol label

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Published: April 27, 2012

Flax is attempting to boldly go where few crops have gone before.

The Flax Council of Canada has filed a health claim submission with Health Canada containing more than 700 pages of scientific review and analysis on how consuming flaxseed can lower blood cholesterol levels.

“Once we get our health claim, it will be really just absolutely phenomenal for the industry,” said Kelley Fitzpatrick, the council’s director of health and nutrition.

She spent three years compiling the dossier, weeding down 1,080 research studies into 11 papers she thought would meet Health Canada’s stringent requirements.

Read Also

Jared Epp stands near a small flock of sheep and explains how he works with his stock dogs as his border collie, Dot, waits for command.

Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion

Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.

The most compelling evidence is that the high fibre and omega 3 content in flax helps reduce cholesterol, which is a major contributor to heart disease.

Health claims are rare. There are 12 approved claims in Canada today, so attaining one could boost flax’s image, which has been under siege for three years after unfavourable weather and the discovery of the genetically modified Triffid variety in a shipment to Europe.

“If you are able to obtain a health claim, it’s a very powerful tool for people who are marketing a product to be able to put on their labels,” said council president Will Hill.

“It would be a very big boost to flaxseed in the food market.”

The food market accounts for about 20 to 25 percent of flax sales but it has plenty of potential for growth.

Fitzpatrick said Quaker Oats knows firsthand what a health claim can do for a commodity. In 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its claim that consuming oatmeal can reduce the risk of heart disease.

“They got this health claim and their sales increased by four-fold in one year,” she said.

She anticipates it will take Health Canada at least one year to decide but she plans to hasten the process as much as possible.

“We need to engage them and make them understand how important this is for Canada’s alternative oilseed. It’s not all about canola,” said Fitzpatrick.

The claim would carry clout with food manufacturers in other jurisdictions as well, she said.

About the author

Sean Pratt

Sean Pratt

Reporter/Analyst

Sean Pratt has been working at The Western Producer since 1993 after graduating from the University of Regina’s School of Journalism. Sean also has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan and worked in a bank for a few years before switching careers. Sean primarily writes markets and policy stories about the grain industry and has attended more than 100 conferences over the past three decades. He has received awards from the Canadian Farm Writers Federation, North American Agricultural Journalists and the American Agricultural Editors Association.

explore

Stories from our other publications