The exclusive agreement represents an expansion of the agribusiness giant's existing partnership with LV Lomas, which already distributes many of Cargill's texturizers and specialty sweeteners in the Canadian market.
Health Canada approves ingredients on a case by case basis, as such the company had to wait for its soluble fiber to pass through regulatory hoops.
"I think the Canadian food industry is interested in new and novel fibers because they have not been available in the past," L.V. Lomas marketing manager Randy Jones told NutraIngredients-USA. Formulators in Canada cannot list fiber sources such as inulin, resistant starches or fructooligosaccharides on nutrition labels as readily as in the United States.
But, in 2006, Health Canada approved Orafti's beneo inulin as a dietary fiber, allowing manufacturers to advertise higher fiber content on food labels and opening the way for brands like Cargill's to also seek the go-ahead.
"The Canadian government as a general rule has been very slow at approving new fibers and it's just in the last year that it has approved new and novel fibers," said Jones.
According to Cargill, it received a "no objection letter" from Health Canada in April to the effect that oliggo-fiber inulin from chicory roots is not a "novel fibre" in Health Canada Guideline No. 9, 1988, thereby allowing manufacturers using oliggo-Fiber to incorporate terms such as 'high source of fibre' on food labels.
As such, under the new inulin distribution partnership, LV Lomas will manage local Canadian food accounts on Cargill's behalf and contact its network of existing clients.
"We anticipate enhanced growth in Canada with the addition of this new sales arm for our oliggo-fiber product line," said Christine Cerkvenik, oliggo-fiber inulin product manager with Cargill.
Derived from chicory roots, oliggo-fiber inulin is a naturally sourced soluble fibre.
According to Cargill, oliggo-Fiber inulin enhances texture in food formulations and has health-promoting prebiotic properties.
Soluble fiber is edible matter, often from plants, that is not absorbed by the small intestine.
When it passes to the large intestine, soluble fiber can help reduce glucose absorption and diminish LDL cholesterol levels - thereby reducing the risk of heart disease and regulating blood sugar for people with diabetes.
LV Lomas also distributes BASF's nutritional ingredients in Canada.