The FDA should change food labeling laws to allow for accurate
comparative claims in order to help consumers choose healthier
diets, said the US Federal Trade Commission in a letter to FDA this
week.
German chemicals firm Merck KGaA, one the vitamin manufacturers
involved in the price fixing allegations, has reached a settlement
and is co-operating with the plaintiffs, reported the New York
Times today.
Food marketers in the US can now make a claim referring to the
beneficial actions of wholegrains on reduction of heart disease
risk, following an application from Kraft Foods.
Lobby groups are stepping up the effort to fight a bill recently
introduced by US senators, which seeks to add considerably to the
government's current regulation of the dietary supplement industry.
The US Supreme Court said yesterday it would hear an appeal by
Roche, BASF and other vitamin makers, challenging a previous ruling
that allowed foreign buyers to sue them in the US for their
activities abroad.
US bioterrorism regulations come into force today requiring all
food plants to register with the Food and Drug Administration and
food importers to give the agency advance notice before shipments
arrive at ports or border crossings.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has drawn up a set of
guidelines to assist the media in the voluntary screening of 'too
good to be true' weight loss products and supplements.
Canada's Food Inspection Agency is preparing an investigation into
the efficacy and safety of a range of sports nutrition products,
including energy bars, isotonic sports drinks and weight loss
formulas after a secret report...
Moves by the FDA to introduce tougher regulations governing
nutritional labels for packaged foods are likely to be strongly
resisted by the food industry. Better education about what to eat
would be a more effective way of fighting...
As a raft of new food legislation, notably the labelling of food
allergens and genetically modified organisms, enters into force in
Europe, food manufacturers cannot afford to be less than au
fait with the new rules. Under the umbrella...
Chaos is soon likely to set in with only one month to go until
tough laws on bioterrorism enter into force in the US at least 90
per cent of foreign and domestic facilities have yet to register
with the FDA.
A group of senators yesterday introduced a resolution urging the
FDA to immediately remove all ephedra-containing supplements from
the market. Industry continues to encourage a decision taken on the
science and not the politics.
New York governor George Pataki this week signed into law a ban on
the sale of all over-the-counter ephedra products in New York
state, the third to ban the herbal.
The Codex committee charged with supplements and foods for special
uses has agreed to abolish the 100 per cent RDA measure for setting
maximum levels of vitamins and minerals, as proposed in a draft
guideline.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition is urging the USDA to
incorporate advice on consistent use of multivitamins in its review
of the Food Guide Pyramid.
Legislation that would significantly increase the costs of
marketing herbal dietary supplements was introduced in the House of
Representatives last week, designed to better prevent adverse
events caused by herbal ingredients.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced dates for
further meetings to provide food companies with information on
complying with the bioterrorism act.
Dietary supplement industry members will today testify before the
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in a
hearing designed to size up the effectiveness of DSHEA.
The dietary supplement industry trade associations AHPA, CHPA, CRN,
NNFA, and UNPA have declared their support for legislation
introduced on Thursday that would require steroid hormone
precursors such as androstenedione to be listed...
A Los Angeles court has dismissed claims by Muscle Marketing USA
that all forms of creatine powder, including the product made by
Degussa Food Ingredients, are ineffective. The firm had
countersued, following a case first brought...
New Jersey-based Nutraquest, a former manufacturer of ephedra
supplements under the name of Cytodyne Technologies, has filed for
bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11, according to press reports
yesterday.
A court has overturned a Food and Drug Administration rule as of
the October 17, 2003 requiring manufacturers of dietary supplements
and drug products that contain 30 milligrams or more of iron per
dosage unit to use unit-dose packaging.
California Governor Gray Davis has signed SB 582, a bill that will
ban sales in California of dietary supplements that contain any
amount of ephedrine group alkaloids.
The US Food and Drug Administration will publish two of the major
interim final regulations implementing the Public Health Security
and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act in the Federal
Register today.
Nutraceutical ingredients supplier Health Sciences Group is to push
forward patents for its new CoCare product line born from the
recent synergy with Quality Botanical Ingredients.
Fresh from acquiring starch derivatives company Cerestar,
privately-held US company Cargill throws another European
ingredients company into its shopping trolley with the purchase of
French cocoa and chocolate ingredients company...
Manufacturers on the quest for the perfect biscuit will find
comfort in a discovery coming out of the UK this week that explains
exactly why biscuits crumble.
Consumer groups Public Citizen and the Center for Science in the
Public Interest (CSPI) are suing the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), over its introduction in July of health
claims qualified by disclaimers.
Environmentalists took to the streets in Brazil last week in
protest after the country's vice president said he would lift a ban
on genetically modified soy crops.
Biacore International has had its food analysis kit, used for the
rapid routine testing of the vitamin food supplement folic acid,
fully validated and certified as a Performance Tested Method by the
Association of Analytical Communities...
Lawyers representing 250 hemp companies will make their final
arguments before a court of appeal in San Francisco tomorrow, in an
attempt to hold off a ban on hemp foods by the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA).
The California Senate yesterday passed legislation to ban
ephedra-containing supplements from store shelves. If Governor
Davis signs the bill, the state will be third to ban the
weight-loss herbal from natural health products.
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) filed comments with
the FDA yesterday suggesting that it may have hugely overestimated
the economic benefits to the industry of the proposed GMPs.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed to amend its
regulation on declaring botanical ingredients in dietary
supplements to incorporate by reference the latest editions of two
books.
Active ingredients supplier Graminex has received Good
Manufacturing Practices (GMP) registration from public health and
safety company NSF International, preparing the way for imminent
GMP regulations from the FDA.
Nutrition ingredients supplier DMV International, part of billion
euro dairy company Campina, is the first US company to be approved
by L.R.Q.A. for HACCP certification under the new RvA standard.
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.
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?
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...
Canada-based Bio-Lab has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission
charges that it deceived consumers through false and
unsubstantiated advertising of its 'Quick Slim Fat Blocker' and
'Cellu-Fight' products.
An outright ban on ephedra looks likely after last week's hearing
on the weight-loss herb but the momentum created by the case could
also sweep along with it changes to regulation affecting the whole
industry.
US food manufacturers this week spoke out against new European
rules on the labelling and traceability of GMOs, describing the
legislation as "a brick wall blocking international trade".
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce opens a two-day hearing
on ephedra today, likely to attract considerable scrutiny of
supplement industry regulation. Prior to the start, the media had
already reported on leaked testimonies...
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has unveiled a new ranking
system for health claims, which will make it easier for companies
to promote the health benefits of their products.
Creatine serum producer Muscle Marketing USA (MM) has hit back at
Degussa BioActives with a counterclaim arguing that Degussa's
creatine powder is 'totally ineffective'. The German company moved
swiftly to shrug off...
As MEPs vote on tough new GM legislation today, a UK environmental
group accuses the government of continuing to lobby against strict
laws on GM food and crops.
Metagenics is withdrawing a fatty acid supplement made by Pan
Pharmaceuticals, the Australian firm involved in a major recall
last month due to major safety concerns, from the Canadian market.
