Lipton to Enter Functional Foods Market with Margarine Product

Lipton's first entry into the $8 billion functional foods category will be a margarine product called Take Control. The product is made with a natural soybean extract that may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

The first Take Control product will be low in saturated fat; free of trans fatty acids, and contain 6 g of fat per serving. The product is planned to be available in the United States in February 1999.

Lipton, the maker of Promise, is an operating unit of Unilever, a leading manufacturer of margarines and spreads.

Recent studies suggest that products containing this soybean extract may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. A study published May 18, 1998 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that daily use of products containing this ingredient may help lower cholesterol levels as much as 10%, as part of a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol. Take Control contains 8% natural soybean extract. The soybean extract found in Take Control products, called plant sterols, are minor constituents of commonly used vegetable oils and are normally found in very low levels in the diet.

Lipton expects to expand the Take Control franchise to other categories in addition to developing other functional foods. "We believe that functional foods will play an important role in maintaining the public health in the future," Blanchard said, "and we will be a part of that effort. We look forward to working with the Food and Drug Administration and other policymakers, to help ensure that the potential for functional foods can be fulfilled."

Unilever is one of the world's largest consumer products companies. It produces and markets a wide range of foods, home and personal care products.