FDA Grants the First GRAS Classification for Rice Protein to Axiom Foods for Clinically-Studied Oryzatein®

Wall Street Pegs Plant-Based Food Industry at $3.5B in Sales as Food Giants Move Toward Plant Proteins

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Jul 14, 2016, 08:30 ET

LOS ANGELES, July 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the first GRAS classification for any rice protein to Axiom Foods for their clinically-studied Oryzatein^® organic brown rice protein ingredient. Axiom's Vegotein pea protein was also awarded a GRAS classification. The announcement will be made only a few days prior to the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Chicago on July 16, 2016. Axiom Foods will be presenting at booth 3705 at the McCormick Place Convention Center.

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At a time when rice is becoming the new wheat, the nation's largest consumer packaged food conglomerates are reformulating their products to eradicate allergen-charged soy and whey proteins, gluten-laden wheat and GMO-infested corn. The FDA GRAS nod to Axiom Foods is the specific classification that opens the doors for rice and pea protein to burst into the mainstream of food production.

Wall Street has turned its attention recently toward the plant-based foods industry with Forbes reporting "a rash of plant-powered mergers and acquisitions" and sales of plant-based products topping the $3.5 billion mark. A research report from Wedbush listed ten M&A acquisitions of what were long considered fringe natural food companies such as Whitewave, Justin's and Enjoy Life. The report noted that General Mills launched 301 Inc., a venture arm that invested in the likes of Beyond Meat, which seeks to replace animal protein with plant protein.

David Janow, CEO of Axiom Foods, a former Wall Street food commodities broker said, "Over 2000 food, beverage and skincare SKUs currently use our rice or pea proteins as an ingredient. Since we started in 2005, plant protein debuted as a key component in nutraceutical products and it is now becoming a significant international player in the mainstream food and beverage industries. This FDA approval is the one thing that the majors such as PepsiCo, Nestle/General Mills and Kraft have been asking of the industry to support their plant protein initiatives. For Axiom Foods, this GRAS classification translates into rice and pea protein no longer classified as an 'alternative protein source,' used as a supplement or something found in natural products only."

Axiom Foods is on a mission to provide ingredients for food and beverage manufacturers that are part of a major shift in the global food supply. As reported in The New Economy, the volume of the three largest crops in the world: wheat, corn and rice, (first, second and third in acreage, respectively), are changing places based on the proliferation of food allergies, gluten intolerance and public outcry over the use of genetic modification in foods. CNBC-TV called rice protein "the new meat" and Google CEO Eric Schmidt predicts a 'Plant-Based Revolution' with people "moving away from meat to plant-based proteins." Top food industry trade journals are reporting changeovers from the use of animal-based whey to plant-based ingredients as a large part of their clean label initiatives.

Organic farming, which disallows pesticides and chemicals to be used in the growing process, is an important trend when it comes to the rise of plant-based foods. Janow explains: "when plants are fractioned apart, they are concentrated for use as food ingredients. This means the original plant must be high in nutrients and grown in clean, non-toxic soil, and you can often get multiple ingredients from one grain or seed." Organic plant proteins made from brown rice hit the market in 2009, thanks to Axiom Foods' technology. Only very small amounts of organic peas are grown in the world and protein from the authentically organic legume only became available in 2015.

Axiom Food's Oryzatein has been used in multiple studies including the 2013 clinical trial (Nutrition Journal) comparing the muscle building and maintenance ability of animal-based whey protein to plant-based rice protein. The study resulted in showing there was no difference; a historical landmark finding in the world of sports nutrition.

Axiom Foods, Inc. is the global innovator, manufacturer and distributor of allergen-friendly plant protein ingredients, plus sweeteners and dairy-alternatives, which are used in food, beverage, nutraceutical and cosmetic products from bars to pasta, and non-dairy yogurts to facial cleansers. Fractioning organic allergen-friendly ingredients from rice, pea, oats, and sacha inchi amongst other nutrition-packed plants, Axiom works in tandem with government bodies and other manufacturers to set ethical standards and educate consumers about the power of plant protein in the food supply. Recently featured on CNBC, Axiom's signature Oryzatein^® is the only patent-pending whole grain brown rice protein with clinically-backed claims.

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SOURCE Axiom Foods