U.S. FDA Issues GRAS No Objection Letter for Cargill's Arachidonic Acid-rich Oil

"We are very pleased about this development relating to this key ingredient for our U.S. infant formula customers," said David Henstrom, vice president, Cargill Health & Nutrition.

3/2/2011 --- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a No Objection Letter to Cargill on Feb. 16, 2011, regarding the determination that Cargill's arachidonic acid-rich oil (ARA), a key nutritional infant formula ingredient, is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) under current FDA guidelines. This determination, coupled with the progressive opening of the global ARA-related patent landscape and additional regulatory approvals, will allow Cargill to service the global infant formula industry with ARA.

"We are very pleased about this development relating to this key ingredient for our U.S. infant formula customers," said David Henstrom, vice president, Cargill Health & Nutrition. "Our patent and regulatory efforts, along with the start-up of our new facility in Gedian, China, last year, provides a new, reliable option for our customers."

Cargill's state-of-the-art production facility began operating in April 2010 through Cargill's majority-owned joint venture, Cargill Alking Bioengineering, which has been in business since 2004.

An important material for infants' brain and vision development, ARA is an omega-6 fatty acid and an essential ingredient in infant nutrition. It is a natural component of human mother's milk and an important ingredient in infant and child milk formulas worldwide.