Salad dressings discontinued
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
McNeil Consumer Healthcare and Unilever/Lipton have discontinued shipments of their respective cholesterol-lowering salad dressings, Benecol and Take Control, after less than a year on the market. Although the firms say they want to focus on the brands' spreads, lower-than-expected sales of the premium priced dressings undoubtedly contributed to the decision to discontinue the products. McNeil recently launched Benecol softgel supplements and redefined the focus of its marketing campaign to concentrate on physicians (1"The Tan Sheet" Dec. 6, 1999, p. 4)
You may also be interested in...
Benecol, Take Control Marketing Highlight Approved CHD Health Claims
McNeil Consumer Healthcare's Benecol spread will soon be carrying labeling stating it can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, the company said. The new labeling follows FDA's Sept. 8 approval of McNeil's health claim petition.
Benecol
McNeil Consumer Healthcare phasing out plant stanol ester-containing bars, saying consumers have "indicated a preference" for the brand's cholesterol-lowering spreads. Benecol SoftGel supplements, which launched in late 1999, are available in limited distribution; the J&J subsidiary discontinued the brand's salad dressings earlier this year (1"The Tan Sheet" May 1, In Brief). Single-serve packets of Benecol spread are now available solely through McNeil's Healthy Hospitals program, in which patients admitted for a cardiac event are given, at mealtime, Benecol and information about cholesterol. In food/drug/mass, Benecol and Lipton's Take Control continue to lag behind other margarines/spreads in the $1.29 bil. category, with each holding a 2.3% dollar share for the 52 weeks ended May 21, according to IRI
Plant Stanol Esters Enhance Rx Cholesterol Drugs - McNeil Petition
Foods and dietary supplements containing plant stanol esters augment the cholesterol-lowering effects of several Rx drugs, McNeil Consumer Healthcare states in a health claim petition recently made available by FDA.