Unilever ‘s ‘superphood’ aims to lower cholesterol

-- Packaging Digest, 6/1/2007

To grow sales and cement future development, food companies are launching more functional, "pharmaceutical" foods or "superphoods" with healthful claims. One example is a new yogurt-based product from Unilever, which hopes that Promise activ(TM) SuperShot(TM), with a "shot" of yogurt, will captivate health-conscious consumers with its assertion to lower cholesterol. Packaged in a petite, 3-oz container, the product has a June introduction date. Like Unilever's Smart Balance Omega Plus Buttery Spread, which contains Omega-3 fatty acids that also claim to reduce cholersterol, the mini yogurt drink was also formulated with special ingredients. SuperShot's 2 g of natural plant sterols are said to be clinically proven to help actively remove cholesterol as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. The product's mini-package format comprises a foil-sealed plastic bottle available in a four-bottle pack that's unitized by an artfully printed paperboard sleeve. The drinks come in three flavors—strawberry, peach and raspberry—and are retail-priced at about $3.99.

"Plant sterols can help reduce LDL cholesterol for most people, when used daily as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol," says Douglas Balentine, Unilever North America's director of nutrition and health. "This product innovation is an example of our commitment to help people maintain a healthy heart."