Lallemand is pleased to announce that, following EFSA’s earlier positive recommendation, on June 24, the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for vitamin D baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Therefore, bread and other yeast-leavened bakery products can now become even healthier foods for European consumers by being new daily sources of vitamin D when baked with Lallemand’s VitaD® baker’s yeast, a natural and vegetarian source of vitamin D.

The major source of vitamin D is exposure to sunlight. But now, more than ever before, world populations are living indoor lifestyles and increasingly uses sunscreens when outside. Therefore, it is becoming more important to acquire vitamin D through dietary sources. But there are only a few natural food sources of vitamin D, which explains why at least one third of the world’s population is deficient in vitamin D. In Europe, EFSA estimates that a large percentage of the population does not meet the recommended daily allowances of 10μg/day. In 2012, the mean percentile intake of vitamin D from foods among young children varied from 1.7 to 5.6 μg/day, and from 1.6 to 4.0 μg/day in adolescents. For adults, estimates of vitamin D mean intake from foods varied from 1.1 to 8.2 μg/day.

EFSA has approved a number of health claims for vitamin D which are only granted to nutrients following a rigorous evaluation process. These health claims are related to the importance of vitamin D to the normal absorption of calcium and to the maintenance of healthy bones and teeth, but also include the recent discovery of the crucial importance of vitamin D to the function of the immune system.

According to an Angus Reid survey conducted in 2012 for Lallemand in nine countries across Europe, a large proportion of European consumers (84 percent) believe that vitamin D plays a great role in maintaining or improving their health. This survey also offers an interesting new peek into European consumers’ views on vitamin D:

Gert Steenkamp, president and general manager of Lallemand Yeast Group (EMEA Division), commented that “Since many Europeans are not meeting their needs for vitamin D and new dietary sources are needed, the European Commission’s approval now gives the baking industry a unique opportunity to offer a solution to enhance the healthy attributes of bread, benefiting from the growing consumer awareness of the importance of vitamin D to the maintenance of the immune system and bone health, as recognized by EFSA”.

Lallemand baker’s yeasts rich in vitamin D is available in North America and South Africa and will soon also be available throughout Europe.