The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health
Organization (WHO) release their controversial report on diet and
its impact on disease in Rome today, despite severe lobbying from
the US Sugar Association.
Franco-German pharmaceuticals company Aventis continues the
divestment of French speciality chemicals company Rhodia with the
announcement on Tuesday that it has reduced its stake from 25.2 per
cent to 15.3 per cent by selling 17.8...
Drinking tea appears to prime the immune system to fight infection
and chronic disease, according to US researchers, who report on
both laboratory and in vivo studies this week.
Can gelatine play a role in preventing and treating degenerative
arthritic disease? New research from Germany supports previous
evidence and suggests that gelatine could stimulate collagen
synthesis in cartilage cells.
Sales for US food ingredients company Corn Products International
were on target for the first quarter of 2003 ended 31 March 2003
with the company announcing on Tuesday that sales had risen 23 per
cent, lifting earnings and increasing...
Californian vitamin manufacturer Pharmavite announced last week
that Proctor & Gamble has licensed use of the Olay trademark to
Pharmavite to manufacture and market a vitamin line designed to
address women's health and beauty...
The US sugar industry, in Rome this week, will continue its crusade
against a recent report from the World Health Organisation that
suggests a severe reduction in sugar could help stem the global
rise of obesity-linked diseases.
The quality of the active ingredient in ginkgo supplements appears
to have dropped significantly in the last three years, according to
tests done by ConsumerLab.com.
With the demise of breakfasts at home, spreads are coming under
increasing pressure as consumers demand increasingly convenient and
on-the-go foods, reveals the latest report from marketing analysts
Euromonitor.
A coalition of dietary supplement trade bodies has issued a
statement urging industry members not to promote natural treatments
as a prevention or cure for the SARS virus.
"Too little information is dangerous", for European suppliers of
the food additive E425, otherwise known as konjac, the full force
of this dictum has fallen on their increasingly broad shoulders in
recent weeks.
No fears for agribusiness giant Cargill this year, as it reports
earnings in the third quarter leaped from $151 million to $241
million this year. The privately held firm said litigation
settlements played a large role in the results.
Omega Protein is to build a new fish oil processing facility which
will triple its current capacity and help it meet increased demand
for its OmegaPure brand fish oil.
Despite tougher trading conditions UK food and food ingredients
business Associated British Foods (AB Foods) reported on Tuesday
that operating profit had risen 14 per cent for the first 24 weeks
ended 1 March 2003 to £204 million....
Low levels of vitamin B6 in smokers may raise their risk of cancer,
according to researchers at Washington State University, who found
that even moderate smokers had dangerously low levels of the
vitamin.
SupplySide West organiser Virgo Publishing has announced the five
members of a new Scientific Advisory Board that will evaluate
proposals for scientific presentations at the SupplySide West show
in October.
Proliant sister company American Protein Corporation says that
bovine immunoglobulin could be an effective way of broadening
immunity in humans, and helping to fight the SARS virus.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a statement
confirming that it has not issued a new advisory on methylmercury
consumption, despite recent media reports suggesting otherwise.
Researchers at a Dutch university claim to have developed a model
that predicts how cheese will change when a force is applied to it.
The new model will help to predict how cheese will be damaged
during the packaging or transportation...
Americans may not be consuming enough of the mineral chromium, an
essential mineral thought to enhance insulin sensitivity, according
to research presented by chromium producer Nutrition 21.
Cranberry juice manufacturer Northland Cranberries yesterday
reported a rise in second quarter net income, boosted by higher
sales of branded juice products and cranberry concentrate.
A daily glass of red grape juice may help men with hypertension
lower their blood pressure, according to results from a preliminary
study presented in the US last week.
Canadian firm Lallemand is to complete its new yeast plant in
Memphis, Tennessee, this month, allowing it to meet growing demand
for yeast-based ingredients.
Sweet Success Enterprises continues preparations for the spring
2003 re-launch of its Sweet Success diet meal replacement beverage
with the announcement of crucial agreements with key vendors.
New methods for the detection of enterotoxins from Bacillus
cereus have been developed by European scientists. The
discovery paves the way for the identification of genes responsible
for the production of emetic toxins (vomiting toxins).
Entente cordiale between leaders in France and Great Britain
may well have been strained in recent weeks over the war in Iraq,
but elsewhere, in laboratories in the UK and France, scientists
have shown a united front in their aim...
The FDA's Task Force on Consumer Health Information for Better
Nutrition has established a public docket to receive views and
comments on issues such as health claims, from interested
stakeholders.
Girls who consume more calcium tend to weigh less and have lower
body fat than those with low calcium consumption, suggest new
findings presented last week.
A combination of B vitamins has been found to reduce the severity
of chronic pain in rats. The new research suggests that relief from
chronic pain, which affects millions every year, could be provided
in the form of vitamin tablets.
Following hot on the heels of last week's announcement that net
income for the first quarter is set to exceed projections,
privately owned US agribusiness Bunge said yesterday that it now
owns 100 per cent of French oil processor...
German pharmaceutical and ingredients group Boehringer Ingelheim
reported a healthy rise in profits for 2002 this week, with
directors describing its current status as "extremely sound and
robust".
A combination of caffeine and the herb ephedra alters
cardiovascular response prior, during and after exercise, according
to researchers who will report on a small study at an Experimental
Biology meeting next week.
International Flavours & Fragrances is to launch CoolTek, a
high-intensity cooling technology designed to add 'fun and
originality' for a wide variety of products including food,
beverages and even pharmaceutical products.
The Natural Products Expo Asia event, scheduled for June at the
Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, has been rescheduled
for December as a result of the SARS outbreak.
Individuals who are susceptible to genetic damage and who do not
eat enough dietary folate are almost three times as likely to
develop bladder cancer as those who eat plenty of fruit and
vegetables and who have efficient capacity...
Ultra Health Laboratories and Bionate International are warning
consumers not to purchase or consume a herbal product known as
Vinarol, because it contains an unlabeled prescription drug
ingredient, found in the drug Viagra.
A derivative of the green tea leaf may help reduce risk factors for
heart disease, including bad cholesterol and high blood pressure,
researchers will report at an Experimental Biology meeting next
week.
A new study aiming to reduce fatigue during chemotherapy treatment
suggests that a properly administered nutritional protocol
including the use of turmeric-based supplements may significantly
enhance patients' quality of life.
Researchers have expressed the need for long-term studies on the
effects of low-carbohydrate diets, especially to assess the impact
of the diet on people over 50 years old. In a special obesity issue
of JAMA a team from Stanford University...
The natural antioxidant Pycnogenol, a European pine bark extract
made by Horphag Research, has been included in the new Twinlab
product, Dia-Balance for Eye Health, designed for diabetics and
pre-diabetics.
The debate on the yield superiority of traditional crops over
organic crops is set to continue as a recent study reveals that
corn and soybeans were only minimally reduced when organic
production practices were used instead of conventional...
Hawaii company Mera Pharmaceuticals has reached a deal with
national grocery chain Albertson's, that will see Mera's
astaxanthin supplement AstaFactor available in approximately 1200
of Albertsons' Sav-On and Osco drugstores.
With sales of probiotic drink Yakult boosted by rumours that it
could help prevent people catching the SARS virus, Quality of Life
Labs is perhaps hoping to see the same, and is donating bottles of
its AHCC to Hong Kong residents...
Researchers question the efficacy of the hormone DHEA, taken in
supplement form to help treat cancer and Alzheimer's disease, in a
new study showing it had no effects on cognition in Alzheimer's
patients.
