The European Food Safety Authority's review of additive safety
could have a bigger effect on the ingredients industry than the
ejection of certain colours and flavours with a suspect safety
record. It could give the natural ingredients...
In another move to prevent dietary supplements infringing on the
territory of pharmaceuticals, the US Food & Drug Administration
(FDA) has issued a warning to Zeo Health for three of its products.
Sabinsa has secured a Japanese patent for its standardized black
pepper extract Bioperine, giving it a strong platform for the sale
of the bioavailability-enhancing ingredient in that huge market.
The FDA has backed-up its position that there is no credible
evidence for associating lycopene and a reduced risk of various
forms of cancer in a recent article.
The Texas Attorney General last week charged supplement
manufacturer Mannatech for illegally marketing using dubious claims
and testimonials about the health benefits of its products.
The International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations
(IADSA) is claiming a victory in securing higher levels for nine
additives used in food supplements into Codex's draft risk analysis
standards for safety.
Several recent Supreme Court decisions relative to patent issues
have generated media attention and will have implications
for nutraceutical companies seeking to protect their technologies.
After so much waiting, the dietary supplements industry is
preparing itself for the expected announcement of current good
manufacturing practice (cGMP).
Health Canada is advising consumers not to use certain products
that have been illegally sold as dietary supplements and are said
to contain tranquilizing drugs.
Health Canada has published a guidance document in order to
counterattack confusion regarding the regulation of ingredients in
cosmetics - a hot topic in the cosmetics industry at present.
Another of case of trademark infringement has been won between
feuding dietary supplement companies - Trace Minerals Research
(TMR) and Mineral Resources International (MRI).
An inquiry is under way, it has emerged, in yet another patent
infringement case for the dietary supplement industry. This time
the two parties battling it out are Nutratech and Syntech SSPF
International, over the use of patented...
IADSA reports it is slowly succeeding in melting barriers to
international trade of dietary supplements by influencing the Codex
General Standard for Food Additives list set to affect the
regulatory practices of governments worldwide.
In a case that furthers the polemic surrounding regulatory
structure of the dietary industry, the American Herbal Products
Association (AHPA) has issued comments to the US Food & Drug
Administration (FDA) urging the agency to...
As part of its assurances that it will be tough on dietary
supplement manufacturers who market with false claims, the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) has clamped down on a company that allegedly
hid assets to avert paying a full settlement.
Canada's Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD) has issued new
ingredient monographs for Ashwagandha and revised ingredient
monographs for Blessed Thistle and 'Heal-All', as part of the
government's efforts...
Cargill's proprietary Oliggo-fiber inulin has been approved for use
as a dietary fiber in Canada, adding to the number of companies
allowed to list inulin in this category on labels.
The most successful nutraceutical companies operate in a global
economy and protect their intellectual property in many different
countries. While the Internet makes it easy to communicate
seamlessly across national borders, these...
Cocaine, the energy drink marketed as a dietary supplement, is a
drug, says the FDA, in a move sure to be welcomed by the United
Natural Products Alliance (UNPA).
Being prepared for a US Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
inspection requires advanced and effective planning and, for
nutraceutical companies whose products do not require FDA
pre-approval, it may be their first hands on experience...
Denomega Nutritional Oils has announced the Health Canada approval
of its omega-3 ingredients for use in most foods, thereby opening
up another market to the company.
The American Herbal Products Association is backing two bills
introduced to Congress to expand the use of food stamps to include
nutritional supplements, as well to provide tax breaks for some
products.
Minneapolis-based Cargill has announced that its Regenasure
ingredient, the only non-animal glucosamine available on the
market, has been determined generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
The American Heart Association (AHA) has removed folic acid from
its recommendation for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in
women and also dismissed antioxidant supplements for primary or
secondary prevention.
The Flax Lignan Association has announced the validation of a
standardized method for testing SDG (secoisolariciresinol
diglucoside) content of flaxseed ingredients.
For the first time, Canada's official Food Guide has made
provisions for supplements. A trade association has endorsed these
changes though it is calling on the government to give dietary
supplements more play in the document.
A Canadian industry association has singled out functional foods as
a potentional savior of the country's manufacturing sector.
However, it insists Canada will miss out on this unless its heavy
regulatory environment is loosened.
An American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article, based on last
year's NIH State of the Science conference, has suggested that
building scientific standards into supplements legislation could be
a way to reward companies making...
Oat products with a higher fat content could be eligible to carry a
heart health claim, according to a new proposal by the US Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA has accepted Archer Daniel Midland's new dietary ingredient
(NDI) filing for Beneflax after it passed the 75-day notification
period, meaning the flax lignan concentrate will soon be available
for use in dietary ingredients.
Humanetics Corporation said it has received notification from the
US Patent and Trademark Office that its flagship weight loss
ingredient 7-Keto has been granted a patent for modulating basal
metabolic rate and affecting weight loss,...
A second bill pertaining to dietary supplements has been introduced
at both levels of the New York State legislature, signifying
political efforts to change current regulations are in fact
serious.
Here we go again. Yet another technology in its infancy is likely
to be introduced into the food supply, while industry remains
cautious and consumers divided.
Following the withdrawal of its women's multivitamin product - as a
result of allegations of high lead content by ConsumerLab.com - the
Vitamin Shoppe has expressed both its desire to get to the truth of
the matter and for industry...
The nutrition supplement industry has received formal support from
the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) in the form of
a resolution recommending local governments to provide dietary
supplements to children.
A number of convenience meal products will now be able to carry a
'lean' nutritional claim, after the US Food and Drug Administration
expanded the use of the term.
The American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF) has recommended
the United States Food & Drug Administration create better
definitions or adapt existing regulations on functional foods, and
not create new regulations that could...
With the recent signing into law of the adverse events reporting
bill by President Bush, many dietary supplement manufacturers will
need to begin implementing or changing their reporting practices
within the upcoming year before the...
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing
to simplify health claims for osteoporosis risk reduction for foods
and dietary supplements and to extend the scope from calcium to
include vitamin D as well.
The Federal Trade Commission announced settlements totalling $25mn
with four well-known weight-loss pill marketers, sending out
another warning to companies making unsubstantiated claims to
consumers.
A single laboratory validation of a method for quantifying
chondroitin sulfate in dietary supplement ingredients has been
completed in California, bringing it one step closer to becoming an
AOAC official testing method for the ingredient.
President Bush has signed the Dietary Supplement and
Non-Prescription Drug Consumer Protection Act, thereby setting in
stone legislation which will require manufacturers to notify the
Food and Drug Administration of all serious adverse...
The US Patent and Trademark Office has completed a formal review of
Sabinsa Corporation'spatent for black pepper extract, BioPerine,
and has found the intellectual property to be valid.
As American nutraceutical manufacturers are increasingly seeking
opportunities for selling their products outside the United States,
Canada might seem to be an appealing and relatively easy market for
expansion. However, Canadian...
A sum of $20mn CDN is set to be disbursed to universities and other
organizations involved in vitamins and food education in Canada, as
part of a class action lawsuit involving the price fixing of
vitamins in the 1980s and 1990s.
Infant formula made by food and nutrition giant Nestlé will not be
recalled in the US, the group has said, despite warnings from the
country's food regulator.
