“After a positive opinion from the EFSA in March 2009, the Chia Seed has received NF status in the EU,” stated Dean Mosca, president of Proprietary Nutritionals, Inc., exclusive marketer of Benexia™ Chia Seed. The decision of the EU Commission authorized the commercialization of the Chia seed and ground seed on the EU market at a level of 5% in Bread application, following the EFSA’s recommendations.

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 CPI, as the owner of this Novel Food, and FPT, as the grower and producer, guarantee the quality of the Benexia branded chia seeds that will be distributed within the EU as the approved novel food.

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.

“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,” Mosca said. “The newest star to emerge in the world of ancient grains is Chia.”

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 fibre, easy-to-digest protein, amino acids, vitamins, calcium and other minerals. Plus, it offers outstanding antioxidant value – Chia has a higher ORAC value than fresh blueberries.

Adding Benexia Chia to food or beverages gives them an excellent/upgraded nutritional profile without compromising taste. It incorporates easily into a variety of foods, including baked goods, snacks, bars and drink mixes.

As an exclusive partner of the Columbus Paradigm Institute, Benexia offers food companies the opportunity to upgrade their branded products to a Columbus Concept Standard product, the healthiest scientifically validated category of food products in terms of balanced fatty acids.

HISTORY

Chia Seed has been rediscovered through a project sponsored by public and private U.S. and Argentinean organizations, intended to identify and produce alternative crops at an industrial scale to improve the economy for farmers in the Argentinean Northwestern region.

The project commenced in 1991; the Chia seed was chosen because of its exceptional nutritional properties. After more than 15 years of careful seed selection, Benexia gathers today these farmers in the world's largest and most effective Chia organization, with unlimited production-expansion capacity anchored by considerable expertise.

AVAILIBILITY IN EUROPE

The Benexia Chia products are available in Europe through Ingredia Nutritional. Ingredia Nutritional specializes in the development, manufacturing and marketing of natural, premium, innovative nutritional ingredients and solutions, with scientifically proven efficacy.

Benexia is available as flour, oil, water-soluble Omega-3 microencapsulated powder or as bulk, sprouted or milled seed, to meet the needs of the food and nutraceuticals industry.

Proprietary Nutritionals, Inc., a subsidiary of Pharmachem Laboratories, Inc., is located in Kearny, NJ. PNI markets a variety of patented, scientifically proven, branded ingredients to the nutrition industry, including Celadrin® Joint Flexibility & Relief, Perluxan®, a hops extract, Sytrinol® Healthy Heart, and the Berry-Max® line of potent berry concentrates, including Cran-Max®, Blue-Max®, Bil-Max®, Elder-Max®, Cherry-Max®, and Pom-Max®. For further information, please visit www.benexia.com or contact [email protected].