PLT Health Solutions recently announced that a food additive petition for Earthlight Whole Food Vitamin D was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, opening up the possibility for the unique dietary ingredient to be used in food and beverages produced and sold in the United States.
 
Earthlight a mushroom-based ingredient containing a high concentration of vitamin D, was positively assessed by FDA and published a notice of its permissible use as a nutrient supplement for food in the Code of Federal Regulations – CFR 172.382. The approval covers Earthlight’s use in a broad range of foods and beverages, many of which have traditionally been fortified with vitamin D including breakfast cereals, grain products and pastas, plant milks, plant yogurts, soy-based beverages, soy-based spreads, soy-based cheeses and cheese products, soy-protein based meal replacement beverages, fortified fruit juices, meal replacement beverages, meal replacement bars, fruit juice drinks, and baked goods and snacks.
 
The approval also covers the use of Earthlight in five food categories that, until now, were not covered in the CFR for vitamin D fortification: fruit smoothies, soups and soup mixes, vegetable juices, extruded vegetable snacks, and plant-based meat analogues.
 
Devin Stagg, Chief Operating Officer at PLT Health Solutions, said that FDA’s approval of Earthlight is timely, considering an increase in interest and demand for vitamin D supplementation.
 
“Earthlight is the right ingredient at the right time for food and beverage producers in the United States,” Stagg said. “Adequate levels of vitamin D have always been important, but today, more people are tuned into D than ever. As a whole food, plant-based, clean-label ingredient, Earthlight supports virtually every major food and beverage market trend and can really help product developers differentiate their offerings if they choose to fortify with vitamin D.”
 
In addition to these attributes, Earthlight is also non-GMO, organic, and a whole food.
 
Earthlight is produced from mushrooms via a patented process involving exposing the mushrooms to light, as they are able to produce vitamin D endogenously much like humans. As it is minimally processed, it can be added to labeling as ‘mushroom powder’ or ‘mushroom powder with vitamin D.’ It delivers 1,000 micrograms (40,000 IU) of vitamin D per gram of ingredient. Because it has a low use level, it won’t affect the organoleptics of food or beverage products.