Nutraceuticals International articles from February 2008

Nutraceuticals International archives from February 2008

European Commission adopts proposal to overhaul EU food labeling.
February 1, 2008... The European Commission, on January 30, adopted a proposal to make food labels clearer and more relevant to the needs of European Union consumers. The aim of the draft Regulation is to modernize and improve EU food labeling rules, so that...

Mixed reactions to EC food labeling proposal from BEUC and CIAA.
February 1, 2008... Responding to the European Commission's adoption of a proposal on food labels and plans to require manufacturers to publish front-of-pack key nutritional information, there has been mixed reaction from the Belgium-based consumer group BEUC, the...

EFSA updates on food flavoring substances.
February 1, 2008... The European Food Safety Authority says that its Panel on additives, flavorings, processing aids and materials in contact with food (AFC) is working on a systematic evaluation of the safety of flavoring substances currently in use in the...

UK govt sets out L372M plan to stem obesity, which is welcomed by the FSA.
February 1, 2008... A new L372.0 million ($736.0 million) cross-government strategy to help everyone lead healthier lives has been published by the UK Health Secretary, Alan Johnson and the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls. ...

Flood of nutra claims for France's watchdog.(France's General Directorate for Competition, Consumption and the Prosecution of Fraud)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... France's General Directorate for Competition, Consumption and the Prosecution of Fraud (DGCCRF) has received several hundred Article 13 dossiers (NIs passim), which record health or nutritional claims for dietary supplements, as part of the...

EU-France deal sought over vitamin supps.
February 1, 2008... France's State Council, the highest administrative court in the country, has requested clarification from the European Court of Justice as to whether national authorities can regulate the maximum permissible level of vitamins and minerals in...

EHPM supps guide has global interest.(European Federation of Associations of Health Product Manufacturers)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Demand has soared across the globe for a pan-European quality guide for food supplements created by trade organization, says its publisher, the European Federation of Associations of Health Product Manufacturers (EHPM; NI vol 12, no 12). ...

EU nutrition and health claims regulation - update on progress by Peter Berry Ottawy.
February 1, 2008... The deadline has now passed for the member state governments of the European Union to submit their lists of health claims, (other than claims relating to children or reduction of disease risk), to the European Commission, as required by Article...

US infant formula makers again under ethical cloud for marketing gimmick.
February 1, 2008... A report released by the USA-based Cornucopia Institute presents research indicating that new additives placed in infant formula are seriously endangering the health of some formula-fed newborns and toddlers. The report, titled Replacing...

US CRN grants for pharmacist education.
February 1, 2008... The Council for Responsible Nutrition, the USA's leading trade association for the dietary supplement industry, says it has demonstrated its commitment to educating pharmacists through a grant in support of continuing education programs on...

US CRN argues for DSHEA on supps.
February 1, 2008... In response to remarks made regarding dietary supplements and the USA's Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) during the January 15 Oversight & Government Reform Committee hearing on the The Mitchell Report: The Illegal Use of...

US Judge issues fines for false claims.
February 1, 2008... At the request of the US Federal Trade Commission, a federal judge has ordered Sili Neutraceuticals and Brian McDaid to pay more than $2.5 million for making false advertising claims and sending illegal e-mail messages in violation of the FTC...

Five new members for USA's CRN.
February 1, 2008... The US Council for Responsible Nutrition has announced the addition of the following five members to its membership roster: voting members - GlaxoSmithKline of Parsippany, New Jersey (part of UK pharmaceutical major GSK; LycoRed of Orange, NJ;...

Protecting America's Food to get $42.2M.
February 1, 2008... The US Food and Drug Administration is requesting nearly $2.4 billion to protect and promote public health as part of the President's fiscal year 2009 budget, a 5.7% increase over that received for the current fiscal year. The FDA's...

Study misidentifies unnamed illegal drug in the USA as a dietary supplement.
February 1, 2008... Physician researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in the USA have misidentified an illegal drug product as a dietary supplement, and released a "sensational press" release last month that erroneously claims that...

USA/China food safety agreement.
February 1, 2008... Following a number of cases of contamination involving Chinese products from China (NIs passim), the USA and China have now signed an agreement designed to improve the safety of food exports. In essence, the accord covers registration,...

US/NYC BoH menu labeling slammed.
February 1, 2008... The US Center for Consumer Freedom has criticized the New York City Board of Health for mandating that chain restaurants incorporate nutrition labels on their menus. The Board unanimously supported the proposal, even though similar legislation...

Alternative HRT firms settle with US FTC.
February 1, 2008... The US Federal Trade Commission has announced a consent agreement with on-line sellers of alternative hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products that settles charges that they made health claims for their products without supporting scientific...

US FDA seeks comments on dietary supplement claims substantiation.
February 1, 2008... The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a Federal Register notice soliciting comments on the information collection provisions of its draft guidance, entitled Guidance for Industry Substantiation for Dietary Supplement Claims made under...

Codex: Food additive provisions update.
February 1, 2008... The electronic working group (eWG) dealing with the adoption of Codex provisions on the use of food additives in food supplements and other food categories, has recently concluded its work and agreed a set of recommendations that will be...

Japan forms group for healthy foods.(Japan Health Food & Nutrition Food Association)(Healthy Foods' Issues Investigation Group)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... A Healthy Foods' Issues Investigation Group was set up by the multi-party members of the Japanese National Diet in December last year, according to the local Japan Health Food & Nutrition Food Association. The JHNFA explains that the new...

Vitafoods International and Expo set to build on the success of previous years.
February 1, 2008... Vitafoods International, the largest gathering of nutraceutical experts in the industry, is due to take place at the Geneva Palexpo, Switzerland, on May 6-8. Now in its 11th year, the event promises to build on the success of previous years by...

Study raises concerns over probiotic safety.(Clinical report)
February 1, 2008... A Dutch study of the effect of probiotics on patients suffering from acute pancreatitis has produced some alarming results. Researchers working at the University of Utrecht Medical Center reported that the death rate in patients who were given...

DSM debuts TensGuard to help control BP.
February 1, 2008... Dutch life sciences group DSM has announced the launch of TensGuard - a new and unique ingredient developed to target the growing global market for blood pressure management. The product, based on advanced enzyme technology, contains dairy...

Folic acid supps cut premature birth rate.
February 1, 2008... According to a new survey, women who take folic acid supplements halve the risk of premature birth. The AFP reports that the study, which was conducted by a team at the University of Texas in the USA, showed that rates of preterm birth fell by...

New Zealand's regulation of dietary supplements to move to the Medisafe.
February 1, 2008... The administration of therapeutic products under the Dietary Supplements Regulations (DSR) of 1985 will transfer from the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) to Medsafe, a division of the NZ Ministry of Health, during the first quarter of...

Australia's CHC defends regulations.
February 1, 2008... The Complementary Healthcare Council of Australia (CHC) has strongly defended the current regulation of complementary medicine following the release of a paper in the Medical Journal of Australia which suggested that all of these should be...

CHFA responds to alleged cancer prevention claim suggested in journal article.
February 1, 2008... Responding to a newspaper article that said: "New natural health product rules to allow cancer prevention claim," Canadian Health Food Association president Penelope Marrett wrote to the Globe and Mail's editor, saying this had not explained...

Preclinical data adds support for DHA in AD.
February 1, 2008... In a preclinical study published in the December 26, 2007, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, algae-derived docosahexaenoic acid was found to decrease an important risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, according to USA-based Martek...

Naturex reviews fat burning data on Svetol.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Avignon, France-based Naturex, a natural ingredients developer, says that the recently-acquired Actif Innovants unit of herbal extracts supplier Berkem has completed and published a review on studies investigating the efficacy, mechanism of...

Ayurveda alleviates post-9/11 symptoms.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... 50 participants benefited from ayurvedic herbal supplements in a study on stress relief among rescuers, workers and volunteers from the World Trade Center attacks, according to a report in the February 2008 issue of the peer-reviewed medical...

Grapefruit may help combat hep C infect.(Clinical report)
February 1, 2008... A compound which occurs naturally in grapefruit and other citrus fruits may be able to block the secretion of hepatitis C virus (HCV) from infected cells, a process required to maintain chronic infection. A team of researchers from the...

Beetroot juice "can beat blood pressure".
February 1, 2008... Researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine in the UK have discovered that drinking just 500ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure. The study, published on-line on February 5 in the American Heart...

Enzymotec/BioCare team up on CardiaBeat.
February 1, 2008... Israel developer and manufacturer of lipid-based biofunctional ingredients Enzymotec has teamed up with the UK's BioCare to introduce a new supplement containing its heart-health active CardiaBeat in that market. The new product, called...

Blood-sugar control "bar" debuts in Calif.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Francine Kaufman, a key figure in the Los Angels, USA, Unified School District banning of sodas, is launching a uniquely healthy food bar into Southern California retail. ExtendBar, which helps control blood sugar levels for up to nine hours...

New product launches from Medifast.
February 1, 2008... Medifast, a US portion-controlled weight loss program, has announced the launch of its new product line Momentum by Medifast, the first in the slimming industry designed specifically to induce thermogenesis. Medifast also introduced its new...

Bilberry extract "helps protect" the kidneys.
February 1, 2008... A recent study has highlighted the qualities of bilberry extract in protecting the organism from renal damage caused by potassium bromate (KBrO3). This was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (December 20, 2007,...

Benefits of vit/min in cancer patients unclear.
February 1, 2008... Use of vitamin and mineral supplements among cancer survivors is widespread, despite inconclusive evidence that such use is beneficial, according to a comprehensive review of scientific literature conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson...

Canada's Neurochem takes nutra route to get memory loss product on market.
February 1, 2008... Canadian biopharmaceutical firm Neurochem has set up a new nutraceuticals division and says it is getting close to launching a product which has been developed to enhance memory loss but has failed to impress drug regulators in the USA. ...

NBTY suffers a slide in first quarter profits.(Financial report)
February 1, 2008... Having already posted preliminary figures for its fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2007 (NI vol 13, no 1), US nutritional supplements firm NBTY has released definitive figures which show a decline in profits. Sales came in at $510.9...

pSivida assets sold to Intrinsiq Materials.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Australia's pSivida, a global drug-delivery company, and Intrinsiq Materials Cayman have announced that the assets of pSiNutria, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the former, has been sold to Intrinsiq Materials, a UK-based venture capital-backed...

Danone refutes class action law suit.
February 1, 2008... France-headquartered dairy foods giant Groupe Danone has been accused in a law suit filed in the USA of overstating the health benefits of some yogurt products. In her complaint through the federal court on Los Angeles, Trish Weiner alleges...

Danisco acquires UK emulsifiers company.
February 1, 2008... Danish food ingredients firm Danisco Danisco has signed an agreement for the acquisition of UK-based emulsifiers producer Abitec. The acquisition is conditional on the approval of the appropriate competition authorities. Financial terms of the...

Taisho buys Biofermin to boost health foods.
February 1, 2008... Japanese drugmaker Taisho Pharmaceutical has said that it plans to launch a tender offer for its smaller rival, Biofermin Pharmaceutical to make the latter a consolidated subsidiary. In the offer, which will run from February 13 through...

Fortitech/BASF halt nutrition premix JVs.
February 1, 2008... Schenectady, New York, USA-based Fortitech and German-owned chemicals giant BASF SE have announced that the two companies dissolved their joint venture in the human nutrition premix marketplace and Fortitech will buy all BASF shares. The...

France's N&S acquires Cerealpes.(Nutrition & Sante)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Nutrition & Sante, a leader in the French market for dietary and biological products, has acquired the Provence-based bio-cereals producer Cerealpes, which has annual sales of some 3.0 million euros ($3.5 million). The bio-products sector is...

2007 profits soar at Groupe Danone.(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... In 2007, a year which the French Groupe Danone says was strongly impacted by major strategic choices, by an exceptional situation in China (referring to its feud with Hangzhou Wahaha; NIs passim) and unprecedented input cost inflation, the...

Pronova's 4th-qtr EBITA boosted by Omacor.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Lysaker, Norway-based Pronova BioPharma says strong demand for Omacor (concentrated omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids), up 61% year-on-year, helped fourth-quarter 2007 earnings before interest, taxes and amortization reach 122.4 million...

Omega's FY 2007 sales rise 8% to 789.1M euros.
February 1, 2008... Omega Pharma posted disappointing full-year 2007 sales due to a poor performance in the domestic market. The Belgian over-the-counter health care firm says income during the period rose 8% on the previous year to 789.1 million euros ($1.15...

Fortitech appoints AB Mauri Africa distributor.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... USA-based Fortitech is increasing its focus on the emerging functional food and beverage market in Africa by appointing AB Mauri, a division of Associated British Foods, as distributor to a number of African countries. Fortitech will be...

NutraCea buys facility in Brazil.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Fresh from setting up two joint ventures in Singapore (NI vol 13, no 1), USA-based NutraCea, which produces nutritional supplements and related products derived from stabilized rice bran, has emphasised its desire to expand further in South...

Losses narrow at Nutrition 21.(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... The USA's Nutrition 21, which specializes in chromium-based nutritional supplements, has posted its financial results for the second quarter of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, which show a healthy rise in turnover and a narrowing of...

USANA profits flat for fourth quarter.(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... USANA Health Sciences, which specializes in nutritional and weight-management products, says that sales in the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2007, came in at $108.7 million, up 10.8% compared with the like, year-earlier period. ...

Natural Alternatives hopes for turnaround.(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... California, USA-based Natural Alternatives International, which specializes in customized supplements, has posted a loss for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 ended December 31, 2007. Its net loss of $180,000, or $0.03 per share, compares...

Cyanotech proviides update on marketing.
February 1, 2008... Hawaii, USA-based Cyanotech Corp, a world leader in producing high-value nutrition and health products from microalgae, has announced new developments related to marketing of its natural astaxanthin product, BioAstin. "These developments...

Cognis opens liaison office in India.
February 1, 2008... Global nutritional ingredients and specialty chemicals supplier Cognis, headquartered in Germany, has opened a liaison office in Mumbai, India. The office will be responsible for strengthening the company's relationships with existing...

Forthcoming meetings/events.(European Advisory Services)(International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplements Association)(Vitafoods International and Expo )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... l The Brussels, Belgium-based EAS is repeating its one-day workshop, entitled Building a Regulatory Strategy for Marketing Food Supplements in Europe - the key steps to a successful products launch, on April 3, at the SAS Radisson Hotel in...

People on the move.
February 1, 2008... - Former Sante Naturelle and Abbott Laboratories executive Gary Schmid has joined Canada's Neurochem to serve as chief executive of its new nutraceuticals business (see also page 23). - USA-based nutrition technology company PacificHealth...