Ingredion Inc., a leading global provider of ingredient solutions, announced that Health Canada, the federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, approved NUTRAFLORA® prebiotic fiber as a dietary fiber source. This recent approval is a part of Health Canada’s revised Fibre Policy for Labelling and Advertising of Dietary Fibre-Containing Food Products, introduced in February 2012.

The approval allows for NUTRAFLORA prebiotic fiber, a short-chain fructooligosaccharide (scFOS®), to be declared as a fiber source in food products as permitted by the Food and Drug Regulations. NUTRAFLORA has long been declared a dietary fiber in the U.S. and its numerous health benefits have been validated by more than 200 scientific publications.

“We are extremely pleased to receive this recognition and approval by Health Canada, which will immediately enable us to better support our Canadian customers to develop healthier, fiber-rich, alternatives,” said Rob Kee, vice president and managing director, Canada. “We commend our customers and the industry as a whole for coming together in support of the expanded Canadian fiber definition, and look forward to future food product innovations with NUTRAFLORA.”

Ingredion, via its GTC Nutrition business and its predecessors, has been marketing NUTRAFLORA prebiotic fiber as an ingredient solution that is uniquely capable of helping to improve calcium absorption, digestive and immune health, in North America for more than 25 years. NUTRAFLORA also delivers numerous formulation advantages such as flavor enhancement, fat-mimetic properties, improved mouthfeel and is suitable for use in low calorie products. It is ideal for use in dairy, beverage, cereal, kids’ nutrition, supplement products and more.