Nutraceuticals International articles from April 2003

Nutraceuticals International archives from April 2003

Sales disappoint at Numico in 2002, restructuring to complete "by end June".
April 1, 2003... Netherlands-based Royal Numico, the world's leading manufacturer of vitamins and food supplements, has reported a disappointing set of results for 2002. The company posted a drop in sales for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31,...

Profits and turnover up at Nestle in 2002.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Switzerland's Nestle SA, the world's largest consumer foods group, has reported solid growth in 2002 profits on the back of several one-off events last year, most notably the partial initial public offering for its ophthalmic unit Alcon and the...

Ocean Spray elects new board after bid.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Ocean Spray, the world's leading cranberry juice maker and a cooperative owned by 900 fruit growers in the USA and Canada, has elected a new board of directors in a pre-planned move which comes only a short time after the cooperative received...

Cognis nutrition shows healthy growth in 2002.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Specialty chemicals group Cognis of Germany reported earnings before income tax of 393 million euros ($418.4 million) in 2002, up 3.1% on the previous year. Turnover was flat (-0.2%) at 3.13 billion euros. The improvement in profits, despite...

Adv Nutraceuticals closes $5.5M credit line.(Advanced Nutraceuticals )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Colorado, USA-based Advanced Nutraceuticals says that it has completed the refinancing of its senior debt facility with CapitalSourceFinance LLC. Consequently, the company now has access to a $5.5 million facility, $4.0 million of which is...

Glanbia set to enter nutritional sector?(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Dublin, Ireland-based dairy products manufacturer Glanbia is reported to be weighing up a move into the nutritional ingredients sector, amongst others. The company, which posted 7.8% growth in underlying profits to 71.8 million euros ($76.4...

Roche hit by charges in 2002; posts heavy loss, draws line under "difficult legacy".
April 1, 2003... Switzerland's Roche has reported a net loss of 4.03 billion Swiss francs ($2.99 billion) for 2002 on the back of a number of special charges, particularly in relation to a significant impairment on its equity investments and continued negative...

Natrol remains confident about the future despite a trying 2002.
April 1, 2003... Accounting changes have led to the USA's Natrol posting somewhat complex financials for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2002. For the full year, the company reported operating income of $1.8 million and net income, before...

Twinlab Corp posts significant losses.(fourth quarter )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Twinlab Corp has announced its results for the fourth quarter ended December 2002 which show a net loss of around $6.5 million, or $0.22 per share, versus a loss of $66.8 million, or $2.33 per share, for the like, year-earlier period. The...

ADM signs protein deal with Burcon.(Archer Daniels Midland; Burcon NutraScience Corp )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Archer Daniels Midland has signed a letter of intent with Canada's Burcon NutraScience Corp to enter into a licensing and development agreement to manufacture and market the latter's new Puratein and Supertein canola protein isolates. Canola is...

Global Calcium names PLT as US distributor.(PL Thomas & Co )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Global Calcium of Bangalore, India, has appointed PL Thomas & Co as the exclusive North American distributor for its extensive line of gluconate salts, used in dietary supplementation and food fortification. PLT, a New Jersey based ingredient...

NBTY takes $6 million charge on ephedra.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The list of companies pulling out of the market for ephedra-based dietary supplements is growing longer. Their ranks now include NBTY which, as of March 15, discontinued sales of these products, taking a one-time charge of approximately $6...

2002 sees Mannatech return to profit.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Mannatech has reported net sales of $140.9 million in calendar year 2002, with net income of $1.9 million, or $0.08 per share. The gain in net sales was an increase of 9.5% compared to 2001, while the net income reflected a turnaround of $5.5...

Reliv revenues up 19% in 2002.(Reliv International)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Reliv International, an international manufacturer and network marketer of nutritional supplements and other food technology products, has reported net profit of $2.49 million, or $0.22 per share ($0.19 per share diluted), for the year ended...

MediNiche buys dental dietary supplement.(from CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Over-the-counter consumer health care products firm MediNiche has acquired the intellectual property rights to Dentaplex, a dietary supplement for healthy teeth and gums, from CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals. Introduced in the USA in 2001, Dentaplex...

Lilly to divest Effcal supplement in India.(Eli Lilly India )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Eli Lilly India is in talks with at least two companies for the sale of its over-the-counter calcium supplement Effcal, according to a report in the Financial Express of India, which noted that the move is part of the company's strategy to move...

Fortitech gains BASF's Malay premix unit.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Fortitech has complete the purchase of BASF's human nutrition premix business in Asia Pacific, including a facility based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and BASF's local customer base. As part of the transaction, Fortitech has formed a new...

Premium Ingredients distributes Tianjin vit B1.(Tianjin Zhongjin USA LLC)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Premium Ingredients Ltd of the USA has formed a joint venture with Tianjin Zhongjin USA LLC, the US subsidiary of a leading product of vitamin B1 in China, according to a report in Chemical Market Reporter. Under the terms of the agreement, PIL...

Strong start to the year for Martek.(Martek Biosciences Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Martek Biosciences Corp has announced its financial results for its first fiscal quarter of 2003, ended January 31, which show that revenues reached $20.5 million, up from $6 million for the like, year- earlier period. Net income was $2.1...

Revenues up in 2002 for Allergy Research.(Allergy Research Group)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Allergy Research Group, a US firm which describes itself as "an innovative leader in nutraceutical research and product formulation," has posted a revenue increase of 8% to $12.7 million for 2002. The company, founded in 1979, said that the...

Baywood steady in difficult times.(Baywood International )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... US nutraceutical firm Baywood International says that revenues for the year ended December 2002 rose 26.3% to over $3.4 million, while net loss was down 62% to $242,000), or less than $0.01 per share. Tougher sales environment Chief...

Net loss growing at Carrington Labs.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Carrington Laboratories, which manufactures and markets the nutraceutical raw material Manapol and Aloe vera-based consumer products under the AloeCeuticals brand, says that fourth-quarter revenues to December 31, 2002, rose 15% to $4.9...

Canada's Chai-Na-Ta returns to profitability.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Chai-Na-Ta Corp, which is based in British Columbia, Canada and is the world's largest supplier of North American ginseng, says that revenues for the year ended December 2002 rose 15% to $16 million, while net income was $0.3 million, or $0.02...

Revenues decrease 16.7% at PacificHealth.(PacificHealth Laboratories)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... PacificHealth Laboratories, a New Jersey, USA-based firm which develops and manufactures the satiety-inducing nutraceutical ingredient Satietrol, has posted revenues of just over $5.1 million for 2002, down 16.7% on the previous year. The...

ADM responds to Dutch moves on PAHs in vit E.(Archer Daniels Midland; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Further to NI's article in the March issue which covered the Netherlands' imposition of strict new limits on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in natural-source vitamin E, we have received additional commentary on the issue from Archer Daniels...

...while Roche puts forward its position.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Meantime, Roche has also issued its own statement in response to the Netherlands' action on PAHs, in which it notes that its natural-source vitamin E product, in the form of d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, complies fully with the recent limits...

EU proposes new reference values for vitamins and minerals.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The European Commission is currently in the process of revising the Directive on Nutrition Labeling (Directive 90/496/EEC). There are a number of reasons why the Directive, which was adopted nearly 12 years ago, requires revision. For example,...

UK food intoleance and allergies markets grew 165% over lst two years.
April 1, 2003... Whilst it may still be small, valued at just L55.6 million ($87.5 million), the UK market for food intolerance and allergies products has grown 165% since 2000, according to a new report from consumer market analysts Mintel. There have been...

Poland's new rules on food supplements.
April 1, 2003... After some delay, in accordance with new legislation on foodstuffs, Poland has introduced a series of implementing regulations relating to food supplements and dietetic products, effective at the start of 2003. In one Article on foodstuffs,...

Germany attacked by EC over garlic caps.(European Commission sees them as food, not medicine)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The European Commission has sent a reasoned opinion to Germany regarding its national authorities' practices of always viewing capsule-type products containing dried garlic as medicinal products - thus making them subject to marketing...

Italy taken to ECoJ on energy food labeling.(European Court of Justice)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Italy is being taken to the European Court of Justice by the European Commission in connection with the labeling and packaging requirements for certain foodstuffs for particular nutritional uses, for example food bars and drinks intended mainly...

EMEA final core data proposals for three constipation, one inflammation herbals.(European Medicines Evaluation Agency)
April 1, 2003... The European Medicines Evaluation Agency's Working Party on Herbal Medicinal Products has published Final Proposals for core data on ispaghula seed, ispaghula husk and psyllium seed in the treatment of constipation and also for calendula flower...

US bill calls for mandatory adverse event reports for supplements.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A bill calling for mandatory reporting of serious adverse reactions to dietary supplements has been introduced in the US Senate. Sponsored by Illinois Democrat Richard Durbin, the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2003 (S 722) would also...

US FDA finally produces GMP rule for dietary supplements.(Good Manufacturing Practices proposed by Food and Drug Administration )
April 1, 2003... The US Food and Drug Administration has at last released its long- awaited proposed regulation for current Good Manufacturing Practices for dietary supplements (NIs passim). This appeared in the US Federal Register on March 13, and the agency...

Canada introduces new labeling rules to legitimize health claims.
April 1, 2003... "Our ultimate goal is to provide Canadians with information that is easy to find, easy to use and easy to read so that they can make informed choices," said Minister of Health Anne McLellan recently, of the country's new nutrition labeling...

Rexall faces $12M Cellasene settlement.(Rexall Sundown Inc.)
April 1, 2003... Rexall Sundown is facing settlement costs of up to $12 million in the USA over unsubstantiated cellulite claims for the dietary supplement Cellasene. The settlement between Rexall, which no longer distributes Cellasene in the US market, and the...

Health claims on CFSAN's list for 2003.(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition)
April 1, 2003... The US Food and Drug Administration's new push to clarify the regulatory framework for health claims through its Consumer Health for Better Information initiative (NI vol 8, no 1) is reflected in a number of goals now accorded "A-list" priority...

Herbal remedies for HIV/AIDS soon to be administered in South Africa.
April 1, 2003... Work by South Africa's Medical Research Council into traditional medicines to counter the effects of HIV/AIDS has advanced significantly and herbal products will soon be administered to people living with the virus, Health Minister Manto...

Thai FDA urged on TV health programs.(Thailand's Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Thailand's Food and Drug Administration has been urged by the Foundation for Consumers to look into televised health programs, many of which are presented by doctors who exaggerate the benefits of food supplements. The Foundation has received...

Indonesia's herbals sales to reach $167M.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Sales of herbal medicines in Indonesia are expected to hit 1,500 billion rupiah ($167 million) this year, according to the Antara News Service. Irwan Hidayat, president of PT Sigomaneul, which is the largest herbal medicine maker in the...

News from Russia, Uzbekistan.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... - Russia's Statistics Committee that the consumer price of multivitamins imported to the country in January was 1.6% higher than in December, reports Interfax. - Uzbekistan drugmaker Nihol has started producing brewer's yeast as a helth...

Global nutra market to reach $74.7B by 2007".
April 1, 2003... The global market for nutraceutical products grew from $38.2 billion in 1999 to $46.7 billion last year, an annual average increase of nearly 7%, according to Evolving Nutraceutical Business, a new report from Business Communications Company to...

Bangladeshi premier warns over biodiversity.(Khaleda Zia on medicinal plants)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Bangladesh's Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia, has urged the country's scientists, research institutions and drug firms to educate consumers about the value of medicinal plants and teach them how to identify them. She told an international...

S African indigenous knowledge deal.
April 1, 2003... The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has agreed with the South African San Council to share the benefits expected to arise from the commercial success of a CSIR patent that followed R&D of new technology related to...

Sensus gets Dutch approval for inulin health claim.(Sensus America Frutafit brand allowed to make colon health claims)
April 1, 2003... Sensus America has had a health claim linking its Frutafit brand of inulin to colon health approved by the Dutch Public Health Ministry. Specifically, the approval was granted for a line of Frutafit-enriched bread products manufactured by...

Nutri Pharma's Abacor tops rival soy products in cholesterol-lowering.
April 1, 2003... Nutri Pharma's soy composition Abacor is significantly more effective at lowering cholesterol compared to the best commercially-available soy protein, according to a recent randomized, double-blind study conducted in Berlin, Germany, in...

Positive Food targets "little bottle" market with cocoa product.(Positively Healthy Cocoa Drink with antioxidants)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Positive Food Co, based in Basingstoke, UK, has introduced a new product which presents a unique spin on the "little bottle" format favored for probiotic products such as Yakult and Danone's Actimel. Positively Healthy Cocoa Drink...

Female health bread launched in UK.(Warburtons' Good Health Loaf for Women)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... UK baker Warburtons has launched a new fortified bread product, Good Health Loaf for Women, which contains the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid, folic acid, calcium and iron. The 400g loaf was developed alongside vitamins supplier...

Croda to debut new products at Vitafoods.(lipids and wheat protein to be introduced at trade show)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... UK company Croda is to launch two new highly-concentrated lipid ingredients at the Vitafoods exhibition held May 13-15 in Geneva, Switzerland. Incromega E7010 is a 70% concentrate of eicosapentaenoic acid, which is said to offer a total 90%...

Nestle introduces Fitness cereal in Singapore.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Nestle has introduced its low-fat, high-fiber breakfast cereal Nestle Fitness to the Singaporean market. Already available in Europe, Nestle Fitness is fortified with 10 vitamins and minerals, including iron and calcium and is targeted at...

US NIH to test safety and effectiveness of St John's wort in minor depression.(National Institutes of Health )
April 1, 2003... The US National Institutes of Health has launched a four-year study to determine the safety and effectiveness of the herbal ingredient St John's wort and citalopram, a prescription antidepressant sold in the USA by Forest Laboratories as...

Cranberry juice benefits could extend to cardiovascular protection, says study.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Drinking three glasses of cranberry juice each day can provide significant increases in blood levels of antioxidant factors, as well as an increase in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels that could confer a protective effect against...

Banaba extract from Tropical Traditions.( herb extract for lowering blood sugar)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Tropical Traditions of the USA has introduced what it claims is the first full-profile banaba-leaf herb extract for lowering blood sugar. Banaba is a popular medicinal plant in the Philippines and is used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus,...

Enzymotec launches healthy oil ingredient.(MultOil)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Israel-based company Enzymotec has launched a new ingredient derived from healthy fats, called MultOil, for use in food applications. MultOil takes the form of a natural vegetable oil, enriched with phytosterol esters and diacylglycerol. The...

Product boosts libido, curbs appetite, says firm.(Herbal Nurse trials for Cobalt ACV supplement)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... US company Herbal Nurse claims that a Phase I trial of its Cobalt ACV dietary supplement, a liquid extract of 15 herbs including yohimbe, maca (supplied by Maca Source), horny goat weed and 12 other nutrients, has shown that it can achieve not...

ADM to sell new vit E for beverage use.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... ADM Natural Health and Nutrition is launching a new vitamin E for use in clear beverages onto the European market. 230 Clear, to be presented at the forthcoming Vitafoods show to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, in May, has been designed to...

Folate role after PCI questioned; ACC trial.
April 1, 2003... The results of a six-month follow-up study involving patients who underwent successful intracoronary artery stenting to open up an occluded vessel has found higher rates of restenosis and major adverse cardiac events in patients randomized to...

Kunpoong's Chitoligo-C has prebiotic effects.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Chitoligo-C, a chitosan oligosaccharide ingredient developed and marketed by Kunpoong Bio of South Korea, has been shown to have a prebiotic effect on Bifodobacterium longum and lactobacillus species in an in vitro experiment reported in...

Echinacea under fire after US trial.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Echinacea sales represent 10% of the dietary supplement market in the USA, but there is no guarantee as to the content, quality, variability or contamination in preparations of the herb. A new study published in the Archives of Internal...

Chromium picolinate damages flies, but industry backs safety in humans.
April 1, 2003... The safety of chromium picolinate as a dietary supplement has come under scrutiny in the USA after evidence of genotoxicity emerged in a study using fruit flies. But the supplement industry says the findings have no bearing on human...

Fish oil for lupus?(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Researchers from the University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, have shown that daily supplementation of patients with the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus with fish oil can lead to a reduction in disease activity and an improved...

Multivitamins may cut infections.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A year-long study in 130 patients has suggested that taking a multivitamin daily can reduce the incidence of respiratory, urinary and gastrointestinal infections, including influenza, in individuals aged over 45. The most striking finding in...

Another negative homeopathy trial.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Homeopathic remedies, which are often used to improve the quality of life of asthmatic children, work no better than placebo, finds a study in Thorax (2003;58:317-321). Trained homeopaths, who had been in practice for at least 10 years,...

Forthcoming meetings/events.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
April 1, 2003... - Food Ingredients Central & Eastern Europe will take place May 20-22 in Budapest, Hungary. More details from cee.fi-events.com; - Vitafoods International 2003, held this year as always in Geneva, Switzerland, will take place May 13-15;...

People on the move.(multiple company appointments)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... - Fortitech Europe has named Per Gotfredsen as technical manager and Nicolas Touillon as director of sales; - The president of Bayer's consumer care division, Gary Balkema, has been elected chairman of the World Self-Medication Industry...