Nutraceuticals International articles from December 2003

Nutraceuticals International archives from December 2003

Indian call for new supps reg category.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... At the 1st Nutraceutical Summit organized by the Indian Health Food and Dietary Supplement Association, held in Mumbai, a call was made for a new regulatory category for dietary supplements and nutraceuticals. According to a report on the...

Emerging market for soy proteins in India.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... India is emerging as a profitable new market for soy protein producers including UK-headquartered GlaxoSmithKline with Horlicks Plus, a premium product for senior citizens, and soy proteins from Solac, a new joint venture between US firm DuPont...

India digitizes ayurveda formulas.(India launches traditional knowledge digital library)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... India has launched a traditional knowledge digital library that documents information in simple terms on ayurvedic formulations for various ailments gathered from the ancient Sanskrit language. In the first phase, information has been...

UAE taking action on counterfeit herbals.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The Ministry of Health and the General Secretariat of the United Arab Emirates' Municipalities are now working together to monitor the sale of counterfeit herbal products, according to the Gulf News agency, which noted press reports that the...

New vitamin angel campaign for India.
December 1, 2003... Regulators in Latin America need to step up collaborative efforts to dismantle trade barriers in the region's dietary supplement market, concluded a recent conference organized by the International Alliance of Dietary Supplement Associations....

No progress on Codex health claims science.(Efforts to determine types and levels of evidence needed to support health claims for dietary supplements remained stalled)
December 1, 2003... Efforts to determine the types and levels of evidence needed to support health claims for dietary supplements remained stalled at last month's meeting of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses in Bonn, Germany. ...

S Korea's supplement market growing fast.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The South Korean market for nutraceuticals is growing at an annual rate of 20%-30%, and represents a significant opportunity for foreign companies, according to a report presented at a meeting held by the Canterbury and Nelson Nutraceuticals...

TGA warning over Vital folate content.(Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... With sensitivities in the complementary medicines sector still inflamed by the Pan Pharmaceuticals affair (NIs passim), Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration has ordered a consumer-level recall of 38 bottles of Vital brand vitamin B...

Finland tightens caffine labeling.(European Commission finalizes and adopts proposal for regulation on "the addition of vitamins and minerals and of certain other substances to foods" )
December 1, 2003... The European Commission has finalized and adopted its proposal for a regulation on "the addition of vitamins and minerals and of certain other substances to foods." The release of the proposal on November 10 marks a definitive step towards...

Spanish phytotherapy market declining.
December 1, 2003... The Spanish phytotherapy market has hit a snag after seeing soaring growth rates in the past five years, hurt by the government's decision to withdraw hundreds of herbal products from retail shelves due to possible dangerous effects. A...

Call for Judicial Review of UK supplement law by industry groups.(United Kingdom's Health Food Manufacturer's Association)
December 1, 2003... In a surprise move, the UK's Health Food Manufacturers' Association has linked up with the National Association of Health Stores and Consumers for Health Choice to lodge an application for a Judicial Review in the UK on the legality of the...

ECJ views nutrients in foodstuff labeling.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The amount of a nutrient labeled on a foodstuff may correspond to the amount contained in the product at the end of its shelf-life, according to a European Court of Justice ruling. However, it adds that it is up to individual European member...

NAHFS gets Wales kava ban revoked.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The activities of the National Association of Health Food Stores in the UK, in seeking and gaining a Judicial Review of the prohibition of kava-containing food supplements in the country have achieved one result: the overturning of the kava...

2003 - a year of frenetic activity in Euro food legislation.
December 1, 2003... 2003 has come and gone, but what has been resolved in terms of the proposed European legislation on nutraceuticals and food supplements? Whilst there has been almost frenetic activity at the European Commission's headquarters in Brussels,...

Women "would trade best jeans for supp aid".(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... While eight out of 10 Americans believe in the benefits of nutritional supplements, many are confused about which to take. In fact, 76% of women who use supplements say they would trade their favorite pair of jeans just to have someone take the...

FDA OKs US-grown spirulina as GRAS.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Earthrise Nutritionals of California and Cyanotech Corp of Hawaii have said the US Food and Drug Administration has no questions about their determination that spirulina is Generally Recognized as Safe for addition to various foods. ...

Gen Nutrition signs NSF certification deal.
December 1, 2003... General Nutrition Companies, which is the largest specialty retailer of nutritional supplements in the USA, has announced a unique collaborative agreement to ensure that all its branded products meet the requirements of the independent testing...

US FDA seeking comment on ways to manage qualified health claims.
December 1, 2003... The US Food and Drug Administration has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking, seeking public comment on several topics involving qualified health claims, ie, those which are not supported by significant scientific agreement, and...

Royal Tongan Limu supps destroyed.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... NBTY of Bohemia, New York, USA, has completed its voluntary destruction of some 90,000 units of Royal Tongan Limu, a dietary supplement promoted to treat various diseases such as cancer, arthritis and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder,...

Risk of heart disease cut by grape seeds.
December 1, 2003... The botanical grape seed extract Leucoselect Phytosome, produced in the form of a bioavailable complex by the Italian company Indena, could prove to be an efficient means of preventing cardiovascular problems, especially for people with a high...

Echinacea may reduce respiratory infection.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A syrup made with the popular herb echinacea reduced the number of respiratory tract infections in children but did not reduce the severity of infections, according to a new clinical trial published in the Journal of the American Medical...

Benefits of cinnamon for type 2 diabetics.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Scientists at the US Agricultural Research Service from institutes in Peshawar, Pakistan, have found that just 1g of cinnamon a day reduced blood glucose levels, as well as triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total...

Ephedra firm seeks to sue US baseball team over pitcher's death.(Nutraquest asks Federal Court in Florida, USA, for leave to sue Baltimore Orioles baseball team )
December 1, 2003... Nutraquest has asked the Federal Court in Florida, USA, for leave to sue the Baltimore Orioles baseball team in connection with the death from heat stroke last February of minor league pitcher Steve Bechler at the team's spring training camp in...

New York formalizes OTC ephedra ban.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... December 3 saw the formal signing into law of New York State's ban on the sale of over-the-counter products containing the dietary supplement ephedra. Governor George Pataki was joined for the ceremony by Senator Charles Fuschillo, who proposed...

Ginger may slow.(Human colorectal tumor cells that were fed [6]-gingerol, main active component of ginger, has slower rates of cancer growth)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Researchers from the University of Minnesota's Hornel Institute, USA, have found that athymic nude mice injected with human colorectal tumor cells that were fed [6]-gingerol, the main active component of ginger, had slower rates of cancer...

Fruit extracts show promise in skin cancer.
December 1, 2003... Pomegranate extract has been shown to inhibit skin tumors in mice and the red wine component, resveratrol, when applied topically, inhibited the expression of a cancer-causing protein normally resulting from exposure to UCB rays, according to...

Yogurt decreases antibiotic-diarrhea.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A study published in the October issue of Digestive Diseases and Sciences reveals that consumption of yogurt cuts the incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhea by half. 100 hospitalized patients were given 227g of vanilla yogurt daily...

Vit supp Immunace shows benefit in HIV.(Immunace is a vitamin supplement from UK firm Vitabiotics)
December 1, 2003... Immunace, a vitamin supplement from UK firm Vitabiotics, may help significantly in reducing the mortality rate of HIV-infected patients with CD4 cell counts of under 200mL, according to new research published in the November issue of AIDS, the...

Natural's Natto K2 equal to soy food.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... An extract of natto taken in capsule form as a dietary supplement offers the same absorption profile as fermented natto soy food, resulting in identical serum levels of vitamin K2, according to a clinical study conducted at the University of...

Blueberries overcome mental aging.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A blueberry-enriched antioxidant diet prevents an age-related increase in NF-kappaB, a protein that responds to oxidative stress, a probable cause of brain aging, according to studies presented at the Society of Neuroscience meeting in New...

WHO warning on Humana's Remedia.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The World Health Organization is informing its member states of the health risk associated with Humana of Germany's Remedia brand soy-based infant formula. Pediatricians, pediatric nurses and midwives should be advised to warn parents of...

Mjolkursamsalan's LH launched for BP.(Mjolkursamsalan launches blood pressure controlling fermented milk drink under LH brand)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Mjolkursamsalan, Iceland's largest dairy company, has launched a blood pressure controlling fermented milk drink under the LH brand in its home market. The LH product is based on the Evolus technology, developed and patented by Valio and...

Natural vit E from Eisai.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Japanese drug and vitamins maker Eisai has developed a natural vitamin E supplement made entirely without solvents which, it says, offers superior absorption compared with synthetic products. Launching its new product, Juvelex E Pure, Eisai...

Inst Rosell signs deal on Lp299v with Probi.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Canada- and France-based Lallemand's human nutrition and health division, Institut Rosell, has signed a licensing agreement with Sweden's Probi AB under which it gains the rights to use the latter's patented bacteria Lp299v. As a result, "we...

Source Naturals releases Yerba Mate.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... US health supplements firm Source Naturals has released a new product, Yerba Mate, described as a standardized extract of Mate, which has been used for centuries in South America for its rejuvenating and energizing effects. According to...

Integrated Bio buys brands from Aloe.(Integrated BioPharma buys three retail brands of nutritional supplements from Aloe Commodities)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... US firm Integrated BioPharma has acquired three retail brands of nutritional supplements from Aloe Commodities, namely Naturally Aloe, Naturally Noni and Avera Sport, which are distributed nationally through major mass marketers and grocery,...

Nestle adds Martek oils to infant formula.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Nestle USA, a part of the like-named Swiss foods giant, is using Martek Biosciences' docosahexaenoic and arachidonic acid in a new infant formula, trade-named Nestle Good Start Supreme DHA & ARA Infant Formula. The two nutrients are said to be...

Ocean Spray extends range with FFPs.(Flavored Fruit Pieces )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Ocean Spray, the leading US cranberry cooperative, has expanded its range of ingredients for the domestic market, with a new mixed-berry variant of its Flavored Fruit Pieces and a glycerated version of the products. The FFPs are already...

Optic Nerve Formula launched in USA.(ScienceBased Health launches Optic Nerve Formula)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... ScienceBased Health has launched Optic Nerve Formula, a specialized multinutrient designed to help protect the optic nerve. The product is said to support normal vascular and nerve function, promote ocular blood flow and increase protective...

Beer for low-carb diets.(Two companies will offer new low-carbohydrate beers)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Aiming to cash in on the fashion for low-carbohydrate diets are two US makers of beers. Coors Brewing, which makes the popular Coors Light brand, plans to introduce its Apsen Edge beer throughout the USA by year-end, and SABMiller says it will...

Baywood battles through challenges.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... US nutraceutical firm Baywood International has reported its results for the third quarter ended September 30, which show that revenues rose 27.1% to $1.2 million, though they fell 10.5% for the nine-month period to just over $2.4 million. The...

Lite Bites loss hurts Nutrition 21 revenue.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Nutrition 21, a USA-based developer and marketer of chromium-based nutritional supplements, says that revenues for its fiscal quarter ended September 30 were $2.4 million, down 27.2% compared with the like, year-earlier period. Net loss was...

Earnings down but NBTY still smiles.
December 1, 2003... US behemoth NBTY says that, in the fiscal fourth quarter ended September 30, sales increased 49% to $365 million, while net income was $15.9 million, or $0.23 per share, less than half the total in the corresponding period last year. The...

Records broken at Reliv International...(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Reliv International, which makes and sells nutritional supplements and other food technology products, has posted its best-ever results for both net income and sales in a single quarter. For the three months ended September 30, turnover...

Healthy sales rise at Cyanotech Corp.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Hawaii-based Cyanotech Corp, which specializes in the production of natural products from microalgae, has posted its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2004, ended September 30, 2003, which it says demonstrate continuing...

...and Mannatech also reports best qtr ever.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Mannatech of Texas, USA, has announced net sales of $49.7 million for the third quarter ended September 30, the highest in the company's 10- year history, representing an increase of 44.1% over the same quarter of 2002. Net income was up...

Dramatic drop in net loss at Naturade.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Naturade, a US marketer of soy protein products, has reported net sales of almost $3.8 million for the third quarter ended September 30, 2003, an increase of 4.7%, increase, while the firm's net loss shrank 50.8% to approximately $236,000. ...

Willmar Schwabe eyes Taiwan R&D center.(Willmar Schwabe Group, manufacturer of plant-extract medicines, may set up R&D center in Taiwan to look into traditional herbal remedies)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Germany's Willmar Schwabe Group, one of the world's largest manufacturers of plant-extract medicines, is considering setting up an R&D center in Taiwan to look into traditional herbal remedies, according to Heinz Stumpf, head of the firm's R&D...

Malaysia's Bio-Young expects huge growth.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Malaysian health products retailer Bio-Young expects a three- to four- fold increase in sales for the year ending December 31, 2004, according to president Michael Loo, speaking at a press conference after the Superbrands International...

Tsumura Chinese JV's plant constructed.(Joint venture is Shanghai Tsumura Pharmaceuticals)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Japan's largest traditional Chinese herbal medicine maker, Tsumura, has completed the construction of its joint-venture plant in Shanghai, China, which is scheduled to start production in June 2004. The JV, Shanghai Tsumura Pharmaceuticals, was...

Royal Numico's sale of GNC completed.(Completed sale of General Nutrition Centers to Apollo Management )
December 1, 2003... Netherlands firm Royal Numico says it has completed its previously- announced sale of General Nutrition Centers (NI vol 8, no 11) to Apollo Management for $750 million in cash. With this transaction, Numico has withdrawn entirely from the...

India's Dabur in Bangladeshi JV.(Dabur entered into joint venture with Bangladeshi firm Advanced Chemical Industries)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... India's largest ayurvedic concern, Dabur, says it has entered into a joint venture with Bangladeshi firm Advanced Chemical Industries. The alliance, which is split 74% to 26% in the Indian firm's favor, is intended to produce herbal oral and...

Physcience targeting 4% of local market.(Physcience is targeting 4% share of domestic supplements market by next year)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... French nutritional supplements manufacturer Physcience, which also produces goods for the Spanish and Belgian sectors, says that it is targeting a 4% share of the domestic supplements market by next year. This proportion alone is worth an...

Japan's Itochu joins forces with Sanjiu.(Sanjiu Enterprises and Itochu Corp will launch herbal medicines manufacturing facility in China )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... China's largest drugmaker, Sanjiu Enterprises, is set to join forces with Japan's Itochu Corp as the two companies plan the launch of a manufacturing facility in China dedicated to the production of ingredients for herbal medicines. ...

Wimm-Bill-Dann talks with Danone halted.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Leading Russian dairy products and juice manufacturer Wimm-Bill-Dann and French giant Danone have broken off takeover talks. The latter firm already owns a 7% stake in the Russian company and discussions have been continuing over the last five...

Japan's Riken views export growth.(Riken Vitamin seeks ways to boost overseas marketing of its emulsifiers )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Japan's Riken Vitamin is seeking ways to increase the overseas marketing of its emulsifiers and is giving consideration to targeting the relatively underdeveloped markets in China, Africa and eastern Europe, according to press reports. ...

Spain's Natraceuticals strikes new US deal.(Natraceuticals strikes deal with USA's Pechiney World Trade to distribute its pharmaceutical and cosmetic products in US and Canada)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Spanish biotechnology firm Natraceuticals says that it has struck a deal with the USA's Pechiney World Trade to distribute its pharmaceutical and cosmetic products in the USA and Canada. However, the agreement excludes sales of Natraceuticals'...

Solid growth in fiscal 2003 at Nutraceutical.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... USA-based nutritional supplements firm Nutraceutical International has reported growth in both sales and earnings for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2003, as the company began to reap the rewards of its acquisitive growth strategy. ...

Health & Nutrition selling off assets.(Health & Nutritional Systems reached agreement to sell operations of main business to TeeZee)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Health & Nutritional Systems of the USA says that it has reached an agreement to sell the operations of its main business to Florida- headquartered TeeZee for around $411,000. Under the terms of the agreement, TeeZee, which was founded by...

Forbes turns to profit, revenues soar.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Canadian biopharmaceutical firm Forbes Medi-Tech has reported a swing into the black for the nine-month period ended September 30, as sales of its cholesterol-lowering nutraceutical Reductol and cost-containment measures helped drive profits...

Danisco strikes 2nd Howaru probio deal.(Danisco reached second co-branding deal on its probiotic Howaru, with Soprole)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Danish firm Danisco has reached a second co-branding deal on its probiotic Howaru, this time with the largest dairy processor in Chile, Soprole. The latter firm currently holds an estimated 50% of the local market for yogurt products. Financial...

Loders Croklaan lipids get a makeover.(Loders Croklaan Lipid Nutrition)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Loders Croklaan Lipid Nutrition of the Netherlands has announced plans to change its image with a shorter name and a new logo, as part of emphasizing its focus on speciality lipid ingredients and marking its move away from previous owner...

Galaxy optimistic despite sales decline.(Galaxy Nutritional Foods)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Galaxy Nutritional Foods, which makes plant-based dairy alternatives, says that for the second quarter of fiscal 2004, ended September 30, net sales fell 7% to $9.3 million. Net loss was around $228,000 compared to net income of nearly $733,000...

Nutritional sales boost Terumo in 1st half.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Japanese drugs and nutritional solutions maker Terumo has reported robust consolidated earnings for the current fiscal year's first half ended September 30, 2003. The solid performance was largely due to the growth of higher-margin products and...

India's Sami Labs to launch in Sri Lanka.(Co-marketing and distribution deal with Sri Lankan concern Harcourts )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Indian health care firm Sami Labs says that it will soon launch its operations in Sri Lanka. The company has struck a co-marketing and distribution deal with Sri Lankan concern Harcourts in order to make the move possible. Under the terms...

Forthcoming meetings/events.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Health Ingredients Europe 2004 will be held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands November 16-18 next year. For details contact CMP Information in the Netherlands on telephone: +31 346 559444; fax: +31 346 573811; or go online to www.hi-events.com. ...

People on the move.(Robert Brackett is appointed director of US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... - Robert Brackett has been appointed director of the US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, following the retirement of Joseph Levitt, CFSAN director since January 1998. Mr Levitt will leave his post on...