Nutraceuticals International articles from December 2004

Nutraceuticals International archives from December 2004

UK research suggests people believe signposting leads to healthier eating.
December 1, 2004... The UK Food Standards Agency has released new research suggesting that the majority of people would like simple signposts to help them to make informed and healthier food choices. The FSA's Action Plan on Food Promotions and Children's...

Cholesterol-lowering claim for oats in UK.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Following slowly on the 1998 decision of the US Food and Drug Administration, the UK's Joint Health Claims Initiative, a voluntary body, has recently approved the cholesterol-lowering health claim for oat products. The JHCI-approved claim...

Future rests with functional, cholesterol-reducing food/drinks: sector report to 2009.
December 1, 2004... "Low-carb" may currently be the most profitable hotspot in the food and drinks industry but, by 2009, cholesterol-reducing products will take the number one position, knocking low-carb into a distant memory for the industry and consumers alike,...

ASDA in court over "mango fandango".(ASDA Group PLC)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Supermarket giant ASDA has begun a campaign to get the UK food labeling regulations changed after it was prosecuted for labeling mangoes with claims that they have antioxidant properties that help to fight cancer. On October 26, ASDA was fined...

EFSA advice on infant formulae risks.(European Food Safety Authority)(Biological hazards panel)
December 1, 2004... The European Food Safety Authority's Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ Panel) has published an opinion relating to microbiological risks in infant and follow-on formulae. The Panel concluded that Salmonella and Enterobacter...

Food allergen labeling: EFSA advice.(European Food Safety Authority )
December 1, 2004... The European Food Safety Authority has published further scientific advice on allergenic ingredients and their derivatives in order to underpin future measures related to food labeling. The EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and...

EU research shows how diet helps elderly.
December 1, 2004... Adapting diets to reduce the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease or osteoporosis, and more generally to improve health among the elderly, are some of the possibilities revealed by recent European Union research on nutrition and health. ...

EFSA fails to set safe upper level for iron.(European Food Safety Authority)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The European Food Safety Authority's Scientific Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) has published its opinion on the tolerable upper intake level of iron. According to this, iron is an essential trace element that has...

European supplements legislation during 2004 - a review.
December 1, 2004... With 2004 rapidly coming to a close, it is appropriate to review the regulatory developments that have impacted on supplements, nutraceuticals and functional foods in the European Union over the past year. Sadly, many of the developments have...

USA's CRN dismisses research suggesting vit E increases risk of death.(Council for Responsible Nutrition)
December 1, 2004... Research presented at the American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans last month suggests that people taking 400iu or more of vitamin E for long periods had a one in 20 chance of dying earlier than those taking placebo. However, no risk...

"Healthy foods" a $100 billion US market.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The business of selling consumers "healthy foods" generated sales of $100 billion in 2003, according to a new report just released by the Nutrition Business Journal. Its Healthy & Functional Foods Report 2004 indicates that sales of healthy...

US FDA urged to require mandatory reporting of dietary supplement ARs.(adverse reactions)
December 1, 2004... The US Food and Drug Administration's new initiative to help ensure the safety of dietary supplements (NI vol 9, no 11) falls far short of protecting consumers because it does not require supplement makers to report adverse reactions associated...

US FTC launches "Big Fat Lie" initiative targeting bogus weight-loss claims.(Federal Trade Commission)
December 1, 2004... The US Federal Trade Commission has launched "Operation Big Fat Lie," a nationwide law enforcement sweep against six companies making false weight-loss claims in national advertisements. This is the latest in the Commission's efforts to: stop...

Ephedra supplements seized by US Marshalls.
December 1, 2004... The US Food and Drug Administration has acted to remove VITERA-XT, an ephedra-containing dietary supplement marketed by Houston-based Asia MedLabs, from the market. A complaint filed by the US Attorney for the Southern District of Texas...

US FTC targets ephedra, yohimbine claims.
December 1, 2004... The US Federal Trade Commission has charged three related dietary supplement firms, their corporate officers and a physician with deceiving consumers through deceptive advertising for their weight-loss and erectile dysfunction products. On...

US FDA "at crossroads" of dietary supp regulation, public meeting hears.
December 1, 2004... The US dietary supplements industry needs clear guidance on the requirements of new dietary ingredients submissions, as contained in section 413 (a) (2) of the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, according to David Seckman, chief executive of the...

Indian "nutra" to be officially regulated.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... A government committee has recommended that India's nutraceutical sector, estimated to be worth 45 billion rupees ($1.01 billion) and accounting for around 25% of the domestic pharmaceutical industry's annual sales, should be brought under an...

Moves for non-banned sports supps.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Beginning with the Australian Open tennis championship in January next year, a partnership between UK-headquartered drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline and the Association of Tennis Professionals, the ruling body of the men's game, will ensure that...

Signs of slow-down for glucosamine price.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The price of the dietary supplement glucosamine has risen from $6 per kilo in February to around $16 by May as a result of changes in the regulations for the fishing of shrimps, shells of which contain chitosan from which the supplement is...

European demand for Zambian herbals.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... There is a huge demand for Zambian herbal medicines in the European market, and this can benefit local traditional healers, according to Winnie Chibesakunda, commercial officer at the Zambian Embassy in Germany. Europe is a huge market for...

Vit E benefit supported by Canadian HFA.(Vitamin E)(Canadian Health Food Association )
December 1, 2004... The Canadian Health Food Association says it is joining the US-based Council of Responsible Nutrition (see also page 9) and Australia's Complementary Healthcare Council in reminding people about the body of research proving the many health...

Australian energy drinks market.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... In Australia, two products dominate the energy drinks sector in the grocery route, which is the major retail outlet, according to the latest AC Nielsen report. These are V and Red Bull which, together, have 75% of sales, with their main...

Iran increases value of herbal exports.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Iran's Customs Administration reports that the country exported 18,429 tons of medicinal and culinary herbs worth some $60 million in the first seven months of the current Iranian year (March 21-October 20, 2004), according to the IRNA news...

Forbes Medi-Tech in UK Reducol deal.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Vancouver, Canada-based biopharmaceutical company Forbes Medi-Tech has signed a five-year licensing agreement with its first European food partner. The deal, signed with dairy foods group Fayrefield Foods of Crewe in England, is for the use of...

Philippines researcher finds that coconut oil may help fight AIDS.(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
December 1, 2004... The Philippines is the world's largest exporter of coconut products, and the industry has recently been boosted by last year's outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, the virus which infected 12 people and killed two in the Philippines....

Chocolate helps stop persistent coughs.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... An ingredient in chocolate may be more effective than standard drug treatments for stopping persistent coughs, according to a new study published in the FASEB on-line journal. UK researchers gave 10 healthy volunteers either theobromine (a...

Selenium may help lower colon cancer risk.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... New findings published in the November issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggest that selenium may help against colon cancer. Elizabeth Jacobs and colleagues from the University of Arizona, Tucson, USA, pooled data from...

Compound in apples could help fight AD.(Alzheimer's disease)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Quercetin, a potent antioxidant abundant in apples and some other fruits and vegetables, may help protect the brain against oxidative stress, a tissue-damaging process associated with a range of neurodegenerative conditions, including...

Walnuts benefit the heart; new study.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... A new study conducted by scientists at Pennsylvania State University, USA, confirms previous suggestions that walnuts benefit the heart (NIs passim). The researchers found that diets high in walnuts lowered total cholesterol about 11%,...

Lifeline Therapeutics to launch Protandim.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... USA-based Lifeline Therapeutics says that Protandim, an anti-aging dietary supplement which stimulates the production of natural antioxidant enzymes in the human body to fight oxidation, is scheduled to be launched in February 2005. Initially,...

Croda Health to debut joint care product.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... UK-based Croda Health Care has launched CrodaFlex TII, a new joint care complex based on type II collagen and chondroitin sulphate, at Health Ingredients Europe in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, according to FoodNavigator.com. CrodaFlex TII,...

CVT signs distribution deal with ECP.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... CV Technologies has signed a distribution agreement with fellow Canada- based firm Extended Care Pharmacy to sell its COLD-fX directly to the latter's customers in the USA as well as indirectly to other cross- border pharmacies in the country,...

Cocoa + plant sterols can reduce cholesterol.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Plant-based sterols added to a cocoa-based snack can significantly lower cholesterol levels in the body, according to recent research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions, reports FoodIngredientsFirst.com. ...

CalciLife now available in Europe.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Specialty ingredients firms Marigot of the UK and the USA's GTC Nutrition say that, following its success in the USA, CalciLife has now been launched in Europe. CalciLife combines a bioactive plant-derived marine mineral source rich in...

Indena "olive fruits as source of health".
December 1, 2004... Italian company Indena, which specializes in the identification, development and production of active principles derived from plants, last month launched Oleaselect, a novel standardized olive fruit extract. This is a patented olive-pulp...

Apple antioxidant for Health Sciences.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Health Sciences Group, a USA-based provider of innovative, science-based products and ingredients to customers in the nutrition, skin care and food and beverage industries, says that it has acquired the exclusive worldwide license to a...

Kao confirms DAG oil as cholesterol lowerer.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Japanese firm Kao Corp's Health Care Products Research Laboratories has announced the results of a study on plant sterol-enriched diacylglycerol (DAG) oil. This confirmed that, by replacing conventional cooking oil for home use with DAG oil...

Spain's Chupa Chups into functional lollies.
December 1, 2004... After a two-year restructuring program, Spanish lollipop maker Chupa Chups has embarked on a new and ambitious three-year expansion plan to grow in the functional foods market and boost its international presence. "We want to be for sucking and...

Degussa enters blood glucose control market.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Germany-based Degussa Food Ingredients will enter the blood glucose control market via the launch of a new product in Europe, North America and Asia that addresses the rising number of overweight and obese people and the related increase in...

Jarrow Formulas launches FlaxMax.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... California, USA-headquartered Jarrow Formulas says it has introduced FlaxMax, a highly-concentrated, standardized flax lignan dietary supplement which provides up to 30 times more secoisolariciresinal diglycoside (SDG) lignans per serving than...

Polyphenolics expands GRAS for two extracts.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Polyphenolics, a California, USA-based division of Constellation Wines US, has expanded the self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe status of two extracts to include a wide range of foods, reports NutraIngredientsUSA.com. MegaNatural...

Weider Nutrition grows joint health line.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Weider Nutrition of the USA says it has extended its Schiff-branded joint care supplements via the addition of hyaluronic acid (joint fluid) to its Move Free product line. The agent helps joints glide easily and smoothly and assists in nutrient...

DoFiber to boost Taisho's turnover.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The introduction of Japan-based Taisho's DoFiber in October lifted the number of products in its Livita line of health foods to four, and the company hopes that it will boost the range's current fiscal year sales to 2.1 billion yen ($20.3...

Mosaic prepares to debut arthritis formula.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Mosaic Nutraceuticals of the USA says it will launch a proprietary osteoarthritis formula this month with the help of a multi-million- dollar advertising campaign, which should encourage patients who were taking Merck & Co's recently-withdrawn...

NLI expands production to meet client demand.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... USA-based Nutritional Laboratories International, a formulator and manufacturer of nutritional supplements and provider of strategic product development services, has announced an expansion of its production capacity as it brings on-line a...

UK firm to market Inca herbals in India.
December 1, 2004... A new London, UK-based company, Natural Health, will sell branded herbal medicines and cosmetics in India made from herbs grown in the land of the ancient Inca civilization, in Peru, Sashi Mohan Sharma, founder of the firm, told reporters in...

Itochu purchases 23.1% stake in Sanjiu.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Japan's Itochu Corp has invested 301.0 million yen ($2.9 million) for a 23.1% interest in Sanjiu Honsoubou Medical & Pharmaceutical Co, a Japanese subsidiary of the Sanjiu Enterprise Group. Itochu itself has taken an 18.1% stake in the...

Czech egg protein plant.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Protein Foods has opened a new facility for the production of protein substances from egg whites in Veihprnice in the Czech Republic's western Bohemia region, according to the CTK news agency's Business News. The facility cost 15 million koruna...

Freedom acquisition buffers So Natural.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... A decline in the domestic soy and rice drink sector has resulted in the listed Australian company So Natural posting a loss of A$749,000 ($559,000) for the financial year ended June 30, 2004. This loss would have been greater except for the...

Bunge enters alliance for phytosterols.
December 1, 2004... USA-based Bunge has announced the formation of an alliance with Procter & Gamble and Peter Cremer North America to produce and market cholesterol-reducing phytosterol ingredients for pharmaceuticals and foods. The alliance creates an efficient,...

Kaneka invests $23M in CoQ10 production.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Japan's Kaneka Corp says that, due to the rapid growth in consumer consumption of the antioxidant dietary supplement Coenzyme Q10, it will further expand its manufacturing capacity for the product at its Takasago facility. This expansion will...

Argan to merge with Vitamin Research.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Argan of Rockville, Maryland, USA, has signed a letter of intent to merge with Vitamin Research Products, a Carson City, Nevada-based company that formulates, manufactures, packages and distributes nutraceuticals. Explaining the deal,...

Brandywine merges to enter nutra market.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Houston, Texas, USA-headquartered Brandywine Business Services has announced plans to merge with Compound Healthcare of Beverly Hills, California, so that the new company will change its focus on acquisition opportunities with emphasis "on the...

Losses widen at Canada's Burcon.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Burcon NutraScience Corp of Canada has reported a net loss of C$912,600 ($770,052), or C$0.05 per share, for its second fiscal quarter ended September 30, an increase of 31.8%, while for the six-month period, the loss was over C$1.8 million, or...

Huge revenue rises at Vital Living.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Vital Living of Phoenix, Arizona, has reported its financials for the third quarter ended September 30, 2004, which show that revenues from continuing operations shot up to almost $1.1 million from just $40,600 in the like, year-earlier period....

V-Net's nutraceutical water rolls out.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Illinois, USA-based V-Net Beverage has started its initial production run of AlliMax Nutraceutical Water, that contains natural flavoring and stabilized allicin and which the firm says is proven to reduce the symptoms of many ailments including...

Unigen signs Sante Naturelle deal.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Unigen Pharmaceuticals, a US firm that supplies plant-derived ingredients to the natural products industries, has signed a deal with Sante Naturelle of Quebec, Canada to provide an ingredient for use in the latter firm's natural...

Healthy third-quarter sales posted by Natrol.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... US dietary supplements firm Natrol has posted its financials for the third quarter ended September 30, 2004, which show that sales increased 20.0% to $20.9 million. Net income was $384,000, or $0.03 per share, compared to a loss of $392,000, or...

Forbes enthusiastic about the future.
December 1, 2004... Forbes Medi-Tech of Canada says that revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2004 totaled C$5.4 million ($4.6 million), a rise of 58.8% compared with the like, year-earlier period, while net loss was more or less flat at C$1.7...

Bio-One revenues hit $10 million mark.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Florida, USA-based nutritional supplements company Bio-One Corp says that it expects to post revenues for the third quarter ended September 30, 2004, which will exceed $10.0 million, while net loss will be about $1.2 million. A year ago, the...

NutraCea in deal with Wellness Watchers.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... California, USA-based NutraCea has signed an agreement to private label its proprietary stabilized rice bran formulas for Phoenix, Arizona- headquartered Wellness Watchers Systems, a distributor of nutritional products. Patricia McPeak,...

Negative EPO ruling for Martek oil blend.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Martek Biosciences of the USA says that its European docosahexaepoic acid/arachidonic acid oil blends patent was revoked in a proceeding that was held in Munich, Germany, by the European Patent Office on November 11. The hearing was the result...

Danisco restructures in Europe.
December 1, 2004... A restructuring plan involving several of Danish firm Danisco's sites in France, Germany, Holland and Denmark has been launched. In France, Danisco plans to restructure at sites acquired with Rhodia Food. This aims to enhance the company's...

Natural expands tonalin sales in Spain.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Norwegian group Natural ASA, which produces nutraceuticals and food additives for a wide range of industrial markets, has posted third- quarter 2004 profits of 1.3 million Norwegian kroner ($203,922) on operating revenue of 11.1 million kroner....

3rd-qtr nutrition sales fall for Raisio.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Raisio Group of Finland has posted turnover of 113.0 million euros ($146.3 million) for the third quarter of 2004, staying flat with the comparable period of last year's 113.3 million euros, which included 105.5 million euros from sales of...

Numico swings to profit in 3rd-qtr 2004.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Netherlands-based baby and clinical food maker Royal Numico NV swung to a net profit of 44 million euros ($56.9 million) for the third quarter of 2004 from a loss of 457 million euros a year ago. Results were boosted by restructuring...

Danisco forms JV with Henan Tangyin in China.(Joint Venture)(Henan Tangyin Yuxin Co)(Danisco Sweetners)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Danish firm Danisco AS has entered into an agreement with Henan Tangyin Yuxin Co to establish a joint venture company, Danisco Sweetners, for the production of Xylitol and Xylose for the Chinese and international markets, thereby expanding the...

Lower prices dent 3rd-qtr results at BASF.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Although total third-quarter 2004 turnover at Germany's BASF grew 20% over the year-ago period to 9.3 billion euros ($12.0 billion), reduced sales prices for vitamin C and the feed ingredient lysine, under the fine chemicals section, led to a...

Forthcoming meetings/events.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The conference and tradeshow International Complementary and Alternative Healthcare Expo is scheduled to take place February 12-13, 2005, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City, USA. Details are available on the organizer's web site:...

People on the move.(Natural Heath Trends)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... - US firm Natural Heath Trends, which markets its nutritional supplements under the Kaire brand, has appointed Richard Johnson to be representative director and president of its operations in Japan, scheduled to open mid-2005. Before joining...