As the waistline grows, so does the bank balance of the weight loss
industry. By 2007 spending in the US on weight loss products and
services will hit $157.6 billion, up from $100 billion in 2002.
Proprietary Nutritionals has acquired the marketing rights for the
potent cranberry extract - CranMax - from Bio-Shield. Initial
marketing efforts will focus on developing UTI formulations -
women's and senior's products...
Is diabetes really on the up? A new study suggests that the
increase in the prevalence of diabetes may be due to better
detection and people surviving longer with the disease not an
increase in new cases.
Heart-friendlier products may be one of the benefits from new corn
varieties developed by US scientists at the US department of
agriculture's chief scientific research agency and Iowa State
university (ISU). The 14 new lines...
Danish enzymes company Novozymes continues on a high this year,
despite a slight fall in food enzyme sales for the quarter,
resulting in an overall boost to 13 per cent for its forecast for
net profit increase for the full year.
The active ingredient in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate
(EGCG), has been found to block the growth of bladder tumours in
rats, suggesting the chemical could be used to prevent bladder
cancer.
Sales at Weider Nutrition fell 14 per cent during fiscal 2003 and
the supplement maker failed to cut 2002 losses. But divestments of
non-core activities will start to make a difference next year,
claims the company.
The US functional food industry could almost double in value by
2007, according to a new report, which estimates sales of the
health products will be more than $37.7 billion by 2007, compared
to $20.2 billion in 2002.
Denmark-based ingredients supplier Danisco has developed a low-dust
powder technology for food manufacturers aiming for an improved
factory environment.
With just three weeks remaining until the Cancun meetings, the EU
and the US yesterday presented a joint framework to relaunch
agricultural negotiations. Focusing on three areas, domestic
support, market access and export competition,...
The plant extract guggulipid, widely used as an alternative to
cholesterol-lowering drugs in Asia, has turned out to be no more
effective than a placebo in clinical trials, report researchers in
the latest edition of JAMA.
Plant extract supplier Unigen Pharmaceuticals has formed an
advisory board of health experts to review the latest research,
existing products and discoveries to help it plan future
developments.
Most online advertising of ephedra-containing supplements fails to
meet standards set out by the Federal Trade Commission, report
scientists, with many making misleading statements about their
safety, use and efficacy.
Taking supplements of creatine, a compound found in muscle tissue,
can significantly boost both working memory and general
intelligence, according to researchers in Australia.
Trade associations are urging FDA to revise its proposal for GMPs
to reduce expensive testing in areas where quality is already
controlled, and enforce stronger process controls.
As global warming appears to be taking its toll and with German
farmers alone predicted to lose up to 80 per cent of their crops
due to the Europe-wide heatwave this summer, scientists from the
University of Bonn in Germany claim...
Both Brazil and Argentina continue to increase their production and
export figures this year, reports the American Soybean Association,
news which falls in line with forecasts that South America will
become the world's main soybean...
Thirteen leading nutrition experts have been appointed to the
committee responsible for reviewing the national dietary guidelines
in 2005, and with recent reports from the IoM and WHO, they are
likely to propose some revisions.
Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland yesterday said it will
increase its liquid sorbitol capacity by 60 per cent by the end of
2003 in order to meet increased demand.
An agricultural scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
claims to have developed a less fattening variety of watermelon
which still tastes just as sweet.
A team of onion growers in the US claims to have created a new
variety of sweet onion which is not only said to be crisper and
sweeter than any others but also lasts up to eight months.
The National Institutes of Health is investing around $35 million
in a research project on lipids, which could help shed light on
their role in heart disease, arthritis and other majorillnesses.
Increasing consumption of sodas and juices could be causing rickets
associated with calcium deficiency in North American children, as
children drink less nutrient-rich milk, suggest researchers.
Vitamin supplements could help protect children with abnormally
high cholesterol levels from heart attacks in later years,
according to a small study carried out in the US.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will begin sorting through
industry's comments on its proposal on good manufacturing practices
for dietary supplements. Will it take into account higher than
estimated costs?
Dutch retailer Ahold has said that consolidated sales for the
second quarter of €13.0 billion for its global sales represented a
decline of 12.4 per cent compared to the €14.8 billion generated in
the second quarter 2002. Analysts...
Sales of supplements for menopause symptoms are likely to surge in
coming months, after a major UK study finds that combination
hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could double the risk of breast
cancer.
Newly-formed Acatris is planning a major assault on the UK market
and has predicted that Britain will be among the top three growth
markets for its health ingredients.
Vitamin and herbal producers will see surging demand from
anti-aging products, as US consumers demonstrate an increasing
desire to slow the effects of aging, reveals a new report.
Natural foods retailer Wild Oats Markets saw net income surge in
the second quarter, as sales at three new stores opened earlier
this year boosted revenue. No sales growth from new products and
new store formats however.
Women whose diet includes the phytoestrogens isoflavones and
lignans could be at reduced risk of endometrial cancer, the fifth
most common cancer among women worldwide, report researchers.
The latest research on a plant-based anti-inflammatory and pain
reliever shows that it causes none of the gastrointestinal
irritation commonly experienced with aspirin and non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen,...
US department of agriculture sugar-market economist John Love has
predicted that producer prices for sugar for 2002/03 will be 5 per
cent higher than last year's.
Retailers of health foods could present significant risks to breast
cancer patients, claim researchers today. They are calling for
regulations to ensure that health food shops provide consumers with
better information on the products...
The second annual 'Focus on the Future' conference for executives,
to take place in January next year, will once again be based at The
Millennium Resort at Scottsdale McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale,
Arizona.
Lingering consumer suspicion of synthetic colours, coupled with the
rising preference for all-natural products, is driving uptake of
natural food colours within Australia and New Zealand, report
market analysts Frost & Sullivan....
The US dietary supplements industry could gain from an extra $10
million in annual funding for national research under new
legislation to better implement DSHEA. The new bill, proposed by
Senators Harkin and Hatch last week, would...
Green tea's ability to fight cancer is even more potent and varied
than scientists suspected, say researchers who have discovered that
chemicals in green tea shut down one of the key molecules targeted
by tobacco to cause cancer.
Natural Organics has introduced a weight loss product under its
Nature's Plus brand containing three different slimming
ingredients, which the company claims have never been combined in
one supplement before.
Sports equipment brand Everlast is adding its name to a line of
supplements manufactured by New York City-based Vitamin Branding to
launch early next year.
Cereal manufacturers could see growing sales in our
weight-conscious times as a new study shows that people who eat
cereal are less likely to be obese than those who skip breakfast or
choose a traditional English start to the day.
The US Food and Drug Administration has given the Procter &
Gamble fat replacer olestra the all-clear, after new scientific
evidence found there was no need to warn consumers of side effects.
More than half of the 17 cholesterol-lowering supplements tested
recently by ConsumerLab failed to contain their listed ingredients
and many could not be adequately broken down for use by the body,
reported the agency last week.
Nicotine-containing fruit drinks could soon be available as an
alternative for people trying to stop smoking, says a Los
Angeles-based firm, which has received exclusive rights to market
nicotine drinks.
Continuing uncertainty and senior management turmoil at cranberry
supplier Ocean Spray has led Moody's to downgrade the firm's
short-term and preferred stock ratings, with further downgrade
possible in the near future.
