Benecol Gets Hung Up by FDA

It looks like Benecol, a Finnish margarine with reported cholesterol-lowering effects, will not be available in supermarkets as soon as the makers had hoped.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided that Raisio, the Finnish company that manufactures Benecol, and its American partner, McNeil, cannot sell the margarine as a so-called functional food product. This means that the companies have to apply for a license to sell the margarine as a normal spread, which will take up to another three months to be approved.

Originally, Benecol was expected to be on the market in Portland, Ore.at the end of last year. Now it looks like the product will be on the market in May at the earliest.