Nutraceuticals International articles from December 2007

Nutraceuticals International archives from December 2007

Germany's regulatory body BfR says isoflavones are "not without risk".
December 1, 2007... Dietary exposure to isoflavones, and particularly isolated isoflavones in dietary supplements, is not without risk and there is insufficient data at present to determine a safe dose. That is the conclusion of the German Federal Institute for...

EFSA five years on - many changes seen, and still looks to the future.
December 1, 2007... The Summit on Food Safety organized late November in Brussels, Belgium, by the European Food Safety Authority, jointly with the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union and the European Commission, marks the first five years since the agency...

ECoJ rules garlic powder not medicine.(European Court of Justice)(garlic extract powder capsules )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The European Court of Justice's recent decision that garlic extract powder capsules cannot be classified as a medicinal product has been welcomed by the European Botanical Forum. The long-awaited final judgement following an earlier...

Update on risk management model for EC max/min levels of vitamins/minerals.
December 1, 2007... An updated version of the risk management model reviewed in the European Commission's Orientation Paper on maximum and minimum levels for vitamins and minerals was published last month. Available in the November 2 edition of the peer-reviewed...

EHPM guide on food supplements quality.
December 1, 2007... The European food supplements industry has developed what it says is the first ever pan-European quality guide to help companies comply with European Union laws and ensure the production of high quality products. The Quality Guide for Food...

Leading food and drinks firms in EU make pledge on advertising to children.
December 1, 2007... Eleven major food and beverage companies have announced a common commitment to change the way they advertise to children. The move follows recent calls by the European Union for the food industry to use commercial communications to support...

UK FSA board recommends voluntary approach to trans fats, as consumption low.
December 1, 2007... The UK Food Standards Agency's Board is to recommend to health ministers that voluntary measures to reduce trans fats in food have resulted in such low consumer intakes that mandatory restrictions are not necessary. The decision was made by the...

"Harmonization is a long way off," European herbals conference hears.(Conference news)
December 1, 2007... Europe is not likely to see harmonized claims for traditional herbal remedies for quite some time. This is the upshot of the conference on Herbal Medicinal Products in Europe - Harmonization Achieved? in Berlin, Germany, attended by some 45...

Vitamins and minerals in the EU - the saga continues by Peter Berry Ottaway.
December 1, 2007... In March 1992, over 15 years ago, member state representatives of a much smaller European Union gathered around a table to discuss the first working paper on the proposed directive for food supplements. An immediate area of disagreement was...

UK's FSA and DoH set out tighter controls on infant and follow-on formula.
December 1, 2007... In the UK the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health have set out stricter controls on the promotion, labeling and composition of infant and follow-on formula. The new controls will ensure that all types of formula will meet...

UK FSA's guidance on signpost labeling.
December 1, 2007... Issue 2 of the technical guidance for the front-of-pack nutritional signpost labeling approach has now been published by the UK's Food Standards Agency. The technical guidance includes the nutritional criteria that underpin the "traffic light"...

US FDA proposes to deny nutrient content claims on ALA, DHA and EPA.
December 1, 2007... The US Food and Drug Administration has prepared a document saying that it proposes to issue a rule finding that certain nutrient content claims for foods, including conventional foods and dietary supplements that contain omega-3 fatty acids do...

AHPA calls on US FDA not to allow irradiation of dietary supplements.
December 1, 2007... The American Herbal Products Association has submitted a letter to the Food and Drug Administration to request that the agency deny a food additive petition that would allow the use of ionizing irradiation on dietary supplements and dietary...

Booming natural products market in the USA is, once again, the focus of EXPO 2007.(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The US natural products industry continues to be a dynamic, expanding market, with sales of more than $85.0 billion annually. SOHO EXPO 2007, the annual convention and trade show sponsored and produced by the Southeast region of the Natural...

US FDA tells consumers to fortify their knowledge of vitamins and "be savvy".
December 1, 2007... There are many good reasons to consider taking vitamin supplements, such as over-the-counter multivitamins, the US Food and Drug Administration says in an updated guidance available on its web site. According to the American Academy of Family...

Almost 25% of supplements in USA contaminated with steriods, stimulants.
December 1, 2007... According to a new study released in the USA commissioned by Informed-Choice, a not-for-profit partnership between supplement companies and a world-class, anti-doping laboratory, approximately one quarter of supplements could be contaminated....

IADSA fights on over food additive levels.
December 1, 2007... Work is underway to help Codex adopt suitable levels for colors used in food supplements, the International Alliance for Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) has said, as additives continue to face scrutiny into next year. While it...

GOED funds omega-3 foundation.
December 1, 2007... The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s, or GOED, says it has funded a grant to Purdue University for the founding of the "International Omega-3 Learning and Education Consortium for Health and Medicine." The consortium will be...

Health Canada warns consumers not to use red yeast/polycosonal and Cholestrix products.
December 1, 2007... Health Canada is now advising consumers not to use red yeast rice, red yeast rice/policosonal complex and Cholestrix due to concerns about possible side effects, which were identified by the US Food and Drug Administration earlier this year (NI...

Trends to watch in health foods and packaged goods, viewed by Productscan.
December 1, 2007... With the new year fast approaching, new product developments promise better health and happier taste buds in 2008, according to the latest Datamonitor's Productscan Online which takes a look at trends in consumer packaged goods for the coming...

New JAMA study raises issues on how nutrients should be researched.(Journal of the American Medical Association)
December 1, 2007... A study published in the December 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association has raised some important philosophical issues with regard to researching the effects of nutrients in humans and demonstrates the confusion that...

Codex to redraft recommendations on health claims, after considering evidence.
December 1, 2007... Codex has sent its draft health claims recommendations back to the drawing board, following concerns over the weight given to the different types of evidence required for scientific substantiation, the International Alliance of Dietary/Food...

Chromium picolinate aids cognitive function.(Clinical report)
December 1, 2007... Nutrition 21, a US developer and marketer of chromium-based and omega-3 fish oil-based nutritional supplements, has presented the results of a clinical study that showed daily supplementation with 1,000mcg of chromium as chromium picolinate...

Fungus compound helps prostate cancer.
December 1, 2007... In a new development in the fight against cancer, recent research at the University of Haifa, Israel, has shown that molecules found in the common fungus Ganoderma lucidum aid in suppressing some of the mechanisms involved in the progression of...

Bilberry extract quality needs quality standard.
December 1, 2007... A study led by Italian firm Indena's researchers and recently published in the Journal of AOAC International [90 (4):911-9] has measured the quality of products containing bilberry extracts on the market. Its purpose was to reveal differences...

First-time study finds multiple diet supps users have overall better health.
December 1, 2007... People who have used multiple supplements for at least 20 years were in over-all better health than both non-supplement users and individuals who only consumed a multivitamin/mineral supplement, according to a study published in the...

PYN6 shows preclinical efficacy against MRSA.
December 1, 2007... UK-based Phynova, a developer of prescription pharmaceuticals derived from Chinese botanical medicines, says that preclinical assessments of its developmental antibacterial PYN6 indicate that it has a high degree of activity. The firm's...

Pycnogenol improves function in OA patients.(Clinical report)
December 1, 2007... New Jersey, USA-based Natural Health Science says that data from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the journal Nutritional Research indicates that the plant extract-based antioxidant Pycnogenol improved physical function in...

Data links antioxidant to LDL functioning.
December 1, 2007... The International Nutrition Company, a Netherlands-based group of nutritional supplement suppliers, says that new research, reported at the International Conference on Polyphenols and Health in Kyoto, Japan, indicates that Masquelier's Original...

Trp in pumpkin seeds helps calm nerves.
December 1, 2007... A Toronto physician has found that an amino acid found in pumpkin seeds helped research subjects feel less nervous in stressful situations. In the most recent issue of the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, Craig Hudson, reports...

First patients recruited into trial of P&G's Asacol.(Clinical report)
December 1, 2007... Cork, Ireland-based biotechnology firm Alimentary Health says that the first patients have been recruited into a clinical study of USA-based Procter & Gamble's Asacol (mesalamine) along with the supplemental Bifidobacterium infantis 35624, the...

Boiron faults homeopathy attack in Lancet.
December 1, 2007... The US unit of France's Boiron group has disputed an editorial comment published in The Lancet's November 17 issue claiming that its author has misinterpreted results of clinical trials on homeopathic medicines. The UK-based medical...

Grapefruit studied for drug boosting effect.
December 1, 2007... Scientists at the University of Chicago, USA, are studying the ability of grapefruit to interact with drugs to increase their therapeutic effect, reports the Wall Street Journal on-line. The US researchers are assessing juice from the fruit in...

Ecuadorian debut for Raisio's Benecol.(Raison Group Roy's product is now introduced in through Industrias Lacteas Toni SA)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Finland's Raisio Group, a specialist in plant-based nutrition, the most important of which is the Benecol ingredient sold in over 20 countries worldwide, says that this product has now been introduced in Ecuador through Industrias Lacteas Toni...

Pre- and probiotics can improve gut flora.
December 1, 2007... Scientific research has demonstrated that the gut microflora plays an important role in preserving host health and the addition of prebiotics and probiotics can improve the composition and activity of the gut microflora. The European Union and...

Enzymotec's CardiaBeat to launch in E Europe.
December 1, 2007... The Slovakian privately-held, dietary supplements firm Generica - which is active in eastern European markets - intends to launch its Lipidia product, which features CardiaBeat, at the beginning of 2008. CardiaBeat is an innovative matrix...

Wild blueberries help fight oxidative stress.
December 1, 2007... Scientists at the US Department of Agriculture recently concluded that eating wild blueberries and other antioxidant-rich foods at every meal helps prevent oxidative stress (Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol 26, No 2, 170-181,...

Vit E may ward off diabetic heart attacks.
December 1, 2007... Vitamin E supplements can significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks and related deaths for diabetics who carry a particular version of a gene, according to researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the Clalit Health...

Danone seeks to end feud with Wahaha?(DANONE Group offers to end all legal action in its dispute with Hangzhou Wahaha Group Company Ltd.)
December 1, 2007... France-headquartered Groupe Danone has reportedly offered to end all legal action in its dispute with its former China joint venture partner Hangzhou Wahaha if the latter agrees to settle (NI vol 12, no 6). Emmanuel Faber, president of...

New French functional food spinoff.
December 1, 2007... A new functional food spin-off enterprise developed by a team at Rennes University in France under Jacques- Philippe Moulinoux and linked to cancer therapy is to get investment funding of 600,000 euros ($882,900) through to 2008. The...

Fresenius buys Nestle units in France, Spain.
December 1, 2007... Fresenius Kabi, the subsidiary of the Germany-based Fresenius group, has acquired Swiss food giant Nestle's clinical nutrition business in France and Spain. The size of the deal is not being disclosed but Fresenius said 2007 sales for the...

Phytopharm's sales grow 63% in FY 2007.(Phytopharm PLC)(Financial report)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... UK-based drug developer Phytopharm says that, for the 13 months ended September 30, 2007, its operating loss was L6.6 million ($9.7 million), down marginally from the L6.62 million deficit it posted in 2006. The firm, which changed the end of...

USA's Natrol accepts $80.8 million takeover offer from India's Plethico.
December 1, 2007... California, USA-based nationally-branded nutritional products manufacturer and marketer Natrol has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Indian the herbal and nutraceutical-focused firm Plethico Pharmaceuticals. Under the terms...

Natrol and Gener8Xion collaborate to create a new health and wellness division.(Natrol Inc. signs licensing agreement with Gener8Xion Entertainment)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Natrol, a US manufacturer and marketer of branded nutritional products, and Gener8Xion Entertainment, a fully-integrated family/faith-based entertainment company, have executed a letter of intent for a strategic alliance to create a new Health...

LifeTime pushes up Baywood revenues.(Baywood International Inc.'s sales for the third quarter and announces that it has signed a distribution pact to sell its products)(Financial report)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... US nutraceutical company Baywood International says that sales for the third quarter ended September 30, 2007, soared to $3.2 million from just over $205,000 for the same period last year, as a result of its recent acquisition of LifeTime...

Martek Biosciences posts sharp earnings rise and promising forecast for future.(Financial report)
December 1, 2007... US infant formula and dietary supplement major Martek Biosciences Corp has posted a strong set of results for the fiscal fourth quarter ended July 31, 2007, as revenues reached $82.0 million, up 22.1% from the like, year-earlier period. ...

Solgar signs genetic nutrition alliance.
December 1, 2007... Solgar Vitamin and Herb Co has teamed up with fellow USA-based firm GeneLink to begin marketing what they are calling "a brand of advanced genetically-guided nutritional supplements." Nutrigenomx is going to a line of "premium...

Slight revenue rise at Natural Alternatives.(Natural Alternatives International Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... California, USA-based Natural Alternatives International, which specializes in customized supplements, says that revenues for the first quarter of fiscal 2008 ended September 30, 2007, reached $25.5 million, up 1.4% compared with the like,...

B-MS ponders future of Mead Johnson.
December 1, 2007... US health care giant Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced a major restructuring program, and one of its units that will almost certainly be affected is Mead Johnson Nutritionals. At a recent meeting with investors held in New York, the firm...

Sales on the slide at NutraCea.(Financial report)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... California, USA-based NutraCea, which produces nutritional supplements and related products derived from stabilized rice bran, has posted its results for the third quarter which show a major decline in revenues. Turnover for the period...

SunOpta acquires Neo-Nutritionals.(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... SunOpta has decided to tread the acquisition trail once again and has announced an agreement to purchase its fellow Canadian company Neo-Nutritionals. Neo-Nutritionals, which is based in Brantford, Ontario, develops and manufactures...

Forthcoming meetings/events.(Conference news)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The Association of the European Self-medication Industry is holding a conference on January 23-24, 2008, at the Four Seasons Hotel, Canary Wharf, in London, UK, with the title: Making Administrative Simplification a Reality for Medicines in...

People on the move.(Raisio Group Oyj recruits Vincent Poujardieu as vice president)(appointments in PureCircle)(United Kingdom. Food Standards Agency appoints Tim Smith as its new chief executive)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... - Finland's Raisio has recruited Vincent Poujardieu as vice president, Business Development and Ingredients Division. He joins the company from the leading European tobacco group, Altadis. - Kuala Lumpur-based PureCircle has announced a...