NIU’s Global Round-up: Ireland updates CBD recall list, Evolve BioSystems to conduct research in Asia, and more

02-Mar-2020 - Last updated on 02-Mar-2020 at 17:56 GMT

What’s happened across the Nutra-verse over the past seven days? Stay on top of things with our weekly round-up of key news from across the globe.

Europe

Ireland updates CBD food and supplement recall

In an update to a recall of CBD-related foods and food supplements, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has added an additional product to the recall product list.

“The implicated batches of CBD foods and food supplements contain unsafe levels of delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) based on the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) acute reference dose,” the recall update sates.

“There are no immediate dangers associated with the consumption of these products.”

For food businesses, including online retailers currently selling the implicated batches of the CBD products, the FSAI orders them to be immediately removed from sale.

The recall followed a FSAI survey that revealed 37% of the products tested had a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content that could exceed safety limits set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

In addition, over 40% of samples varied significantly (over 50%) from declared CBD content, which the FSAI says, places consumers at risk of “being grossly misled to being put at risk by the ingestion of relatively high levels of THC”.

For more on this, please click HERE.

Asia

Evolve BioSystems to embark on research in Singapore, Hong Kong

California-based microbiome firm Evolve BioSystems will soon embark on local research in Singapore and Hong Kong.

The firm, which is supported by big name investors Bill Gates and Li Ka Shing, already offers its flagship product, Evivo – a B. infantis EVC001 probiotic for infants – for sale in the two countries via its Evivo web store.

In Singapore, the company has recently signed an agreement with the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS) to find out the prevalence of B. infantis in the Singapore population.

For more on this, please click HERE.

Asia

Envictus offloads loss-making sports nutrition unit to Hansells Masterton

Singapore-headquartered Envictus International Holdings has sold its “loss-making” sports nutrition business to New Zealand-based dry powder blender and packer Hansells Masterton.

The sports nutrition business – Naturalac Nutrition – would otherwise have been shut down and written off the assets if it had not been sold, said Envictus.

Naturalac Nutrition sells its products under the brand name Horleys, which include protein powder, beverages and bars.

Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia, Hansells Masterton executive chairman Alan Stewart, said the purchase was a “good fit” for the company in terms of expanding the product range and earning the profit margin.

“We have for some time manufactured the Horleys Replace products (a brand under Naturalac Nutrition) in our Masterton factory as a contract manufacturer and now, we see this as an opportunity to increase the product range and also gain the margin for selling the products so it is a good fit for us.

“We pick up brand names that we need to expand our business. (This is) a relatively small purchase with some good potential.”