Nutraceuticals International articles from March 2005

Nutraceuticals International archives from March 2005

Irish Food Safety Authority establishes 15-member scientific committee.
March 1, 2005... The Food Safety Authority of Ireland last month announced its new Scientific Committee, which will provide scientific advice and expertise on all aspects of food safety and nutrition. The new Committee, which has a term of five years, is...

Eastern European nutra news in brief.(dietary supplements imports)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Latvia's Food and Veterinary Service has asked the government to temporarily suspend imports of food supplements which have been freely imported into the country since May 1, 2004, reports Baltic Business News. It is understood that the Service...

Wassen makes the case for selenium yeast to European Food Standards Agency.(Wassen International Ltd., Lallemand SA )
March 1, 2005... Wassen International, the UK-based company which pioneered the introduction of selenium supplements in Britain more than 20 years ago, has joined forces with Lallemand SA of France to prepare and submit a comprehensive dossier to support the...

EU max supplement levels to be "notified".(European Commission's Directive 98/34/EC on vitamins and minerals)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... In recently-released Minutes of the European Union's Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal Health, held last year, the European Commission again made member states aware that any setting of national maximum levels for vitamins and...

EU proposals for generic health claims.(European Commission's Regulation on Nutrition and Health Claims)
March 1, 2005... It is now expected that, by the end of this year, the European Commission proposal for a Regulation on Nutrition and Health Claims will be finalized. This introduces the concept of a register or list of "generic" health claims that describe...

A natural approach to women's health: Potters' herbal seminar.
March 1, 2005... Many herbal medicines are now experiencing something of a resurgence, despite having been in the pharmaceutical wilderness for a number of years, according to speakers at a recent seminar organized by the UK- based firm Potters Herbal Medicines...

Dutch aid in list of generic health claims.(Neprofarm)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Under an initiative of the Netherlands Ministry of Health, a working group comprising the Dutch over-the-counter medicines body Neprofarm, the food manufacturers association (NPN), Voedingscentrum (an independent alliance financed by the...

Czech moves on pharmacies.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Josef Bednar, chairman of the Czech Republic's anti-monopoly agency, the UOHS, has said the agency will start proceedings against the Czech Pharmacy Chamber because of the refusal of pharmacies to sell vitamins and nutritional supplements which...

Eastern European nutra news in brief.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Belarusian Prime Minister Aleksander Lukashenko signed a decree in late- February that introduces a preferential value-added tax rate of 10% on baby foods and foodstuffs for diabetics, according to the Belta news agency. The measure is designed...

Huge UK food recall - a lesson for supps and nutra industries.(product recalls of food industry)
March 1, 2005... During the last two weeks of February this year, the UK food industry was involved in one of the largest product recalls of recent times. The exercise involved over 500 products supplied by about 180 companies, hospital and school meal services...

The Enforma System infomercial producers settle US FTC charges.(Modern Interactive Technology charged against direct marketing)
March 1, 2005... California, USA-based infomercials producer Modern Interactive Technology and its two principals, Mark Levine and David Richmond, have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they had an active role in developing the deceptive...

US FDA obtains illegal supplements seizure.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... At the request of the Food and Drug Administration, the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania has filed a Complaint for Forfeiture against $13,500-worth of adulterated and misbranded dietary supplements containing...

US CAM integration "needs consensus".(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Consensus policies need to be developed for US hospitals to address licensure, credentialing, scope of practice, malpractice liability and dietary supplement use in developing programs of integrative care, according to a study published...

More Americans drinking probiotic shots as part of healthy diet, new study shows.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Downing a few shots as part of a healthy diet may be just what the doctor ordered, according to The US Market for Cultured Dairy Products, a new study from market research publisher Packaged Facts. Probiotic shots are becoming increasingly...

Changing trends in herbal supplement use in USA.
March 1, 2005... After a rise in the popularity of dietary supplements in the USA in the 1990s, their use seems to have plateaued, although exposure may continue to increase with the addition of herbal ingredients to mainstream multivitamin products, says an...

"Ocular nutrition" supp seller settles with US FTC.(United States. Federal Trade Commission)
March 1, 2005... Hi-Health Supermart Corp and its owner, Simon Chalpin, have settled US Federal Trade Commission charges that they made unsubstantiated advertising claims that their product, Premier Formula for Ocular Nutrition-Optim3 (Ocular Nutrition), can...

New supp safety center at Minneapolis Uni.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... A new Center for Dietary Supplement Safety has been set up in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota, USA, to collect, analyze and disseminate scientific information about dietary supplements. While this is now a $20.0...

ConsumerLab.com: US FTC rejects CRN complaint.(Federal Trade Commission)(Council for Responsible Nutrition )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... ConsumerLab.com says the US Federal Trade Commission has refused to act on a complaint brought against it by US supplement industry group the Council for Responsible Nutrition for alleged deceptive business practices (NI vol 10 no 2). The...

Codex to review definition of food.(Codex Committee on General Principles)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... At its next meeting in Paris, France, in April, the Codex Committee on General Principles will start work on the revision of its current definition of food. Among other things, it will look at: the scientific basis for the definition; the...

CHFA concerned that Canada will regulate natural health products as foods.(Canadian Health Foods Association on Food and Drugs Act )
March 1, 2005... A proposal to amend Canada's Food and Drugs Act that would involve changing the definition of "food" and "drug" so that natural health products would fall under the definition of food is creating concern for the Canadian Health Foods...

"Nutras" falling under Australian TGA.(Therapeutic Goods Act )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Complementary health care products in Australia seem to have been caught up in new legislation applying to pharmaceuticals. Under the US/Australian Free Trade Agreement, the latter country's Therapeutic Goods Act has been amended, effective...

New Zealand: three herbals withdrawn.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Medsafe, the New Zealand Health Ministry's medicines safety authority, has recalled the Herbs Health brand of Joint Plus capsules, SEN Plus capsules and Multistress capsules, because they contain the undeclared prescription medicines frusemide,...

Australia's complementary medicines sector set for major overhaul.
March 1, 2005... The Australian government has backed the recommendations contained in a 2003 official review of herbal and other complementary medicines aimed at enhancing public confidence in the country's alternative medicines sector. Releasing the...

Multicenter clinical trial confirms safety of Aller-7 in allergic rhinitis.
March 1, 2005... US dietary supplements maker InterHealth Nutraceuticals has announced that a multicenter clinical trial spanning three years and involving 545 patients in 14 clinical centers has confirmed the safety and efficacy of Aller-7 in people with...

Cardiac benefits from mushrooms.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Using the latest analysis techniques, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, have found that six commonly-eaten varieties of mushroom are rich in total dietary fibers, including those that are associated with...

Booming Japanese health foods market.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Turnover of health and functional foods in Japan rose to 1,902.91 billion yen ($18.08 billion) in 2004, up from 910.95 billion yen in 1995, with the market showing annual growth of 10%-20% over the period, according to a survey by a private...

Uzbekistan grant for flour fortification.(Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition's funding)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition has granted $2.8 million to Uzbekistan to fund a project concerning the fortification of wheat flour with vitamins and other elements, according to UzReport. The program is expected to benefit around...

BioVision 2005 to tackle major health issues.(World Life Sciences Forum)
March 1, 2005... The nine Chairs of BioVision 2005, which represent the three life sciences stakeholder communities - society at large, industry and science - met in London on March 1 to define the core agenda of The World Life Sciences Forum, to be held in...

Nature's Sources launches Kolorex.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Illinois, USA-based Nature's Sources says it has added a product, Kolorex, to its Advanced and Practitioner Intestinal Care lines. These products, scheduled to be introduced at the upcoming Natural Products Show in Anaheim, California, USA, in...

HoodiaDietPills' new products launched.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The USA's PGH Products says that its subsidiary HoodiaDietPills has launched Phentramine Hoodia Diet Pills and Adaprex Hoodia Diet Pills. According to the firm, the diet pills can help suppress appetite, increase energy levels, give a feeling...

Evolus products debut in Spain and Portugal.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Finnish firm Valio International says that functional dairy products developed using its Evolus technology for lowering elevated blood pressure are now available in Spain and Portugal. The fermented milk-based drinks are sold in packs of...

Pepsi's new Gatorade: 20% more electrolytes.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Drinks giant Pepsi says that its recently-launched new formulation of Gatorade has 20% more electrolytes to stimulate thirst, enhance fluid absorption and help retain fluid than its predecessor. According to the firm, "electrolytes like sodium,...

Forbes' Reducol gets EU appro for foods.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Canadian biopharmaceutical firm Forbes Medi-Tech has received European marketing approval for its cholesterol-lowering health supplement Reducol, allowing it to be used in a variety of approved food groups, including: margarine, fermented...

Nurture introduces OatVantage in USA.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... US cereal grain-derived ingredients manufacturer Nurture's OatVantage, the first highly-concentrated source of oat bran, is now available in capsule form in more than 10,000 health food stores, vitamin shops and other retail outlets in the USA....

UMCKA Coldcare results in shorter, less severe colds, new study indicates.
March 1, 2005... A recently-completed clinical study shows that colds are made shorter and less severe by UMCKA Coldcare, a unique natural medicine prepared from the roots of Pelargonium sidoides and marketed in the USA by Nature's Way Products. The...

Chromium supps to be studies for effects in overweight children with type 1 diabetes.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, USA is to conduct the first double- blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to study the effects of chromium picolinate supplementation in overweight pediatric patients with poorly-controlled...

Martek share price shoots up after deal is signed with cereals behemoth Kellogg.
March 1, 2005... Shares in Martek Biosciences Corp shot up following the news that the company has signed a major agreement to supply docosahexaenoic acid, a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid, to cereals giant Kellogg. No financial details were disclosed. ...

Old heads set up new nutra firm.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... A group that consists of "several veteran supplement industry executives" has joined together to establish a new company in Boulder, Colorado, USA, which is called NeuroNutrition. The new firm says it plans to supply products that are...

Degussa chosen to sell Ferco's grape extract.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Germany's Degussa Food Ingredients has been selected by French firm Ferco Nutraceutique to exclusively distribute its GRAP'ACTIVE product line in North America and Asia. Under the terms of the deal, Degussa will sell various types of grape seed...

Tishcon's Carni Q-Gel Forte gets USP mark.(United States Pharmacopeia)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... US group Tishcon Corp says that its Carni Q-Gel Forte has met the United States Pharmacopeia's Veritification Program for dietary supplements. Commenting on the development, which follows USP verification of six of the firm's flagship...

New method for vit E synthesis developed.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... A team of scientists at Japan's Nagoya University has developed a new catalyst that can be used to synthesize vitamin E at a much lower cost, according to a report in the Nikkei Weekly. The new catalyst, a combination of silicon and an organic...

Twinlab to launch new products with NKO.(Neptune Krill Oil)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... US group Neptune Technologies & Bioressources says that the newly-formed Twinlab Corp organization, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Michigan-based IdeaSphere, will soon be launching three innovative new products containing its krill oil - Joint...

SoBe extends diet drinks range.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... US beverage maker SoBe has added several new flavors to its range of "guilt-free" diet products. The sugar-free, low-calorie drinks line will now offer Lean Energy and Lean Mango Melon in addition to the existing Lean Green Tea, Lean Peach Tea...

Wassen: new bone supp.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... UK group Wassen has formulated a new triple-action bone health supplement, OsteoMarine. The product, which is not a calcium supplement but serves to maximize calcium absorption by assisting the process of depositing the mineral on the bone...

Spain's Natraceutical cooks up a recipe for sweet growth in the future.
March 1, 2005... When reaching Natraceutical's factory in Valencia, eastern Spain, one is immediately enchanted by the chocolate-smelling scent stemming from its cacao-grinding machines. In fact, cacao is one of a slew of functional- food ingredients that...

Recapitalization hits Herbalife figures but plans major growth abroad in 2005.
March 1, 2005... Herbalife International, a US weight-management and herbal supplements firm based in Los Angeles, has reported record net sales for 2004 of $1.3 billion, an increase of 13% compared to the prior year, while net income rose 25% to $46.2 million,...

Nutrition 21 confident about its future.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Nutrition 21, a USA-based firm which markets chromium-based nutritional supplements, has announced its financial results for the fiscal second quarter ended December 31, 2004, which show that revenues climbed 60.9% to $3.7 million, while net...

Vital Living takes over full control of joint venture in bid to push DFN sales up.(Wellness Watchers International)
March 1, 2005... Vital Living says that it has acquired a 100% interest in Wellness Watchers Systems, its 50/50 joint venture with fellow US firm Wellness Watchers International which was only formed some six months ago (NI vol 9, no 9) to co-market the...

ADM buys Solae's isoflavone business.(Archer Daniels Midland)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Archer Daniels Midland has acquired the global soy isoflavone business of fellow USA-based firm Solae, which it says includes an extensive portfolio of US patents, foreign equivalents and pending applications. Financial terms were not...

GTC concentrates on diet supplements.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The USA's GTC Nutrition, a unit of Corn Products International, has declared its intention to get more involved in the dietary supplements market by setting up the specific managerial post to deal with that field. The company has chosen...

Allimax Nutra in deal with Tempo Canada.(Allimax Nutraceuticals )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Allimax Nutraceuticals of Chicago, USA, says it has signed an agreement with Toronto-based Tempo Canada, whereby the latter will act as exclusive distributor for its Allisure ingredients in that country. Financial terms were not disclosed. ...

Thea to diversify into nutraceuticals.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... French drugmaker Thea, which specializes in the development and commercialization of ophthalmological drugs, is planning to diversify into the nutraceuticals sector and is launching a range of slimming products called Sveltea. The product is...

Nutra patent for PharmaNutrients.
March 1, 2005... PharmaNutrients, a US R&D company and supplier of proprietary, science- based nutritional ingredients, has been awarded US patent 6,838,451. Entitled Methods and Compositions for the Prevention and Treatment of Inflammation, Osteoarthritis and...

UK's Nutrinnovator to buy Provexis.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The board of Nutrinnovator has confirmed that it is currently at an advanced stage of negotiations to acquire a complementary functional food company, the fellow UK-based Provexis. An interim statement by Nutrinnovator in November 2004...

French govt gives go-ahead for Boiron-Dolisos merger, but with conditions.
March 1, 2005... The French Economics and Industry Ministry has given the go-ahead to the merger between the country's main homeopathic drug producers, Boiron and Dolisos (Marketletters passim), but has stipulated that this should be "under certain conditions."...

France's Groupe Danone sees 2004 revenues rise 7.8% and EPS grow 11.2%.(earnings per share)
March 1, 2005... Leading French foods and nutritional products company Groupe Danone has reported like-on-like revenues of 13.70 billion euros ($17.83 billion) for 2004, an increase of 7.8% on the prior year. Net income (excluding exceptional one-time items of...

GSK sues Nicodrop herbal remedy maker.(GlaxoSmithKline)(Nicodrops)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Health, a subsidiary of the UK pharmaceutical major and maker of Nicorette, has filed a suit in US federal district court seeking an injunction against Nicodrops Inc, the maker of the product Nicodrops, alleging false...

Unilever loses over $1 billion on Slim Fast.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Anglo-Dutch Unilever group has reported exceptional items of 1.5 billion euros ($1.9 billion) including planned step-up in restructuring and impairment charges for Slim Fast goodwill in its final-quarter 2004 results. According to...

GENOME Express in French food deal.(Centre Technique de la Conservation des Produits Agricoles)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... GENOME Express, a specialist in DNA analysis, has signed a sales agreement with France's Centre Technique de la Conservation des Produits Agricoles, an organization promoting food safety, quality management and technical innovation within the...

Cargill to acquire pectin firm Citrico.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... USA-based provider of food and agricultural services Cargill has announced plans to acquire Citrico, a manufacturer and supplier of citrus products for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industry. The deal is subject to regulatory approval....

Red Bull reduces Thai marketing budget.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The distributor in Thailand of Krating Daeng energy drinks, Red Bull Beverages, is to spend 300.0 million baht ($7.8 million) on marketing aimed at boosting sales by 10%, according to marketing manager Sathit Sathirasrindh, adding that Krating...

Danisco down-sizes fragrance plant.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Belgium-headquartered food ingredient developer and manufacturer Danisco has announced the down-sizing of its fragrance house in Seillans, France. The move is in response to the four-year decline in the market for fragrances and to the...

Puleva's 2004 profits plunge 28%.
March 1, 2005... Puleva Biotech, a unit of Spain's biggest food company Ebro Puleva, said 2004 revenues rose 41% to 6.5 million euros ($8.5 million). Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization grew 13% to 3.0 million euros. However, 44%...

Spain's Sos Cuetara delays oleosan sales.
March 1, 2005... Spanish food company Sos Cuetara has postponed sales of its new oleosan functional oil to third parties until next year to further develop the product, spokesman Eugenio Gisbert has told NI. In late 2003, the company predicted that oleosan...

Herbalife supplements under scrutiny in Israel.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Israeli Knesset's health committee has been holding discussions to examine a range of nutritional supplements, including those from Herbalife Israel. All the products have been approved by the Ministry of Health. However, the Ministry is...

Small French nutra co a hit in Amsterdam.(Bio Serae)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Bio Serae, a small French nutraceuticals company with annual sales of 5.0 million euros ($6.6 million), has won the silver medal for "the most innovative health ingredient" at the Health Ingredient Europe fair in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Bio...

Numico to buy Italy's Mellin in $535M deal.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Royal Numico, the leading Dutch specialized nutrition company, has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Mellin, Italy's fastest-growing clinical and baby foods firm, in a cash and shares deal of around 400.0 million euros...

National Starch opens new US center.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... UK-headquartered National Starch Food Innovation has opened a new process innovation center at its Bridgewater site in New Jersey, USA, designed to accelerate new product development and expand resources to meet future market demands. ...

Cargill to build oils plant in Russia.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... US foods and nutraceuticals company Cargill has started the construction of its first vegetable oil extraction plant in Russia, in which it plans to invest over over $60.0 million, the Interfax news agency has reported. The firm said in a...

Forthcoming meetings/events.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... Vitafoods International 2005, Europe's largest event this year for the nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and functional food ingredients industry, will take place May 10-12 at the Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland. This includes a two-day conference...

People on the move.
March 1, 2005... The US Council for Responsible Nutrition has named Steven Mister as its new president and chief executive, to replace Annette Dickinson, effective mid-April. Mr Mister joins the CRN from his position as director of government affairs at the...