Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has called for submissions on an application to permit increased levels of plant sterols in breakfast cereals.

FSANZ’s Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said the applicant, Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing, is seeking to allow increased concentrations of plant sterols, typically known as phytosterols, in portion controlled breakfast cereals.

“Plant sterols occur naturally in certain plants and are currently permitted to be added to edible oil spreads, breakfast cereals, milk and yoghurt,” Mr McCutcheon said.

"FSANZ has reviewed the application and available data and found no concerns about adding plant sterols to breakfast cereals up to the concentrations proposed in the application”.

FSANZ considers there to be no reason to limit the scope to portion controlled cereals.

All FSANZ decisions on applications are notified to ministers responsible for food regulation who can decide to ask for a review or agree that the standard should become law.

The closing date for submissions is 6pm (Canberra time), 24 January 2017.

More information
Read the call for submissions report for A1134
How to make a submission

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/media/Pages/Call-for-submissions-on-application-to-increase-levels-of-plant-sterols-in-breakfast-cereals.aspx