Nutraceuticals International articles from May 2004

Nutraceuticals International archives from May 2004

EU Parliament finds Commission's health claims proposal too hot to handle.
May 1, 2004... Factional wrangling over the European Commission's proposed regulation on nutrition and health claims (NIs passim) has scuppered efforts to push the controversiial proposal through the European Union Parliament before it breaks up for elections...

Early EU proposals for a Directive on sports nutrition.
May 1, 2004... Almost 15 years after it was first tasked to produce a directive on sports nutrition products, the European Commission has released a working document on the first draft of this legislation. European Union Directive 89/ 398/EEC on dietetic...

FDA reviewing qualified health claim for soy protein in cancer.
May 1, 2004... A petition for a qualified health claim associating the consumption of foods based on soy protein with a reduced risk of certain types of cancer is under review by the US Food and Drug Administration. The petition from The Solae Company, a...

Some discrepancies found in zinc DS test.
May 1, 2004... Zinc supplements on the US market emerged relatively unscathed from the latest round of quality testing by ConsumerLab.com. Out of a total of 16 products tested, three contained less zinc than was claimed on their label. ConsumerLab also had...

IADSA meeting will review enlarged Europe impact of food supplements.
May 1, 2004... Within the first month of their accession to the European Union, government officials of the 10 new member states will meet in Prague, Czech Republic, to consider the future of food supplement regulation in the countries. This will be at a...

Enterprise Ireland on functional foods.
May 1, 2004... In a new initiative to assist the development of small-to-medium enterprises in the Irish functional foods industry, Enterprise Ireland is providing specialized training and support to equip client companies with the skills and knowledge needed...

After ephedra ban, FDA is checking other supplements, says Crawford.
May 1, 2004... On the heels of its ephedra ban, which took effect April 12 (NI vol 9, no 3), the US Food and Drug Administration is checking reports of adverse effects, research data and other information on some other supplements, Acting FDA Commissioner...

US FDA "wants pre-market approval of dietary supplements," FDLI meeting told.
May 1, 2004... The dietary supplement industry in the USA is undergoing a change and, in 10 years, it might resemble the over-the-counter industry or could be led by Asian firms, according to Scott Bass of the law firm Sidley Austin Brown & Wood. In any case,...

Animal, lab data may be enough to pull unsafe supps, says IoM/NRC report.
May 1, 2004... The Food and Drug Administration need not rely on meagre data from human clinical trials to build a case for removing unsafe dietary supplements from the US market, says a report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council....

More collaboration needed to increase consumer understanding of nutrition.
May 1, 2004... In response to the publication of a report by the USA's National Academies of Science, titled Exploring a Vision: Integrating Knowledge for Food and Health, Rhona Applebaum, executive vice president and chief science officer for the US National...

Vit D deficiency "an epidemic in US youngsters".
May 1, 2004... Less exposure to direct sunlight, along with the switch from drinking milk to soda, has brought back a health epidemic not seen in the USA in 70 years - vitamin D deficiency. It is estimated that 30% of adolescents nationwide may be vitamin...

Herbals of the new millennium: quality safety and efficacy, viewed by Indena.
May 1, 2004... As part of the first Annual Integrative Medicine Conference and Natural Healthcare Expo held in Florida, USA, last month, Italy's Indena sponsored an educational seminar entitled Herbals of the new millennium; quality, safety and efficacy. ...

Codex food labeling committee tries again on health claims.
May 1, 2004... The next meeting of the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Food Labeling later this month will see the CCFL once again tackle an issue that, for a short while last year, appeared to have reached a hard-earned resolution. Health claims will be...

No place for nicotine in food, says FSANZ.
May 1, 2004... The use of nicotine and Nicotiana species in food should be banned outright, proposes a recent Draft Assessment Report from Food Standards Australia New Zealand. The draft report on Proposal P278 addresses a gap in the current joint food...

Australia's "wellness revolution".
May 1, 2004... Australia's fruit and vegetable juice industry has exploded, as health- conscious consumers rush to buy the latest boost, detox, and de-stress- on-demand beverages, from plain orange drinks to wheatgrass and ginko biloba supplements, fueled by...

Vit E boosting India's antioxidants market.
May 1, 2004... Among a host of anti-oxidant formulations, stand-alone vitamin E formulations are currently boosting sales in India. The $15 million plain vitamin formulation sector is expected to grow about 8% this fiscal year, up from 5% last year. The total...

Oz omega-3 project.
May 1, 2004... Eating a "super plant" or growing cereals to produce flour to provide valuable fish oils will be possible in five to seven years, according to Australia's CSIRO scientists. The project, to initially create a genetically-modified plant...

Japan's Tokuho mart up 37.6% since 2001.
May 1, 2004... In Japan, the market for specified health foods, Tokuho, grew to 568.88 billion yen ($5.25 billion) in 2003, up 37.6% from 2001, according to a survey by the Japan Health Food and Nutrition Food Association, reported by Pharma Japan. Of...

Zinc reduces fever in boys with ALRI.
May 1, 2004... A new study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that zinc significantly reduces the duration of fever and severity of illness in boys, but not girls, with severe acute lower respiratory infection....

Sherry may control cholesterol levels.
May 1, 2004... Scientists from the University of Seville, Spain, have shown that sherry, like red wine, contains antioxidants called polyphenols, which can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. These work by preventing the oxidation of low-density...

Lutein supps show promise in AMD.
May 1, 2004... The use of the nutritional antioxidant supplement lutein may be effective in improving symptoms of age-related macular degeneration, according to new findings published in Optometry, the Journal of the American Optometric Association. Lutein is...

Vit D levels may help fight breast cancer.
May 1, 2004... UK scientists from Birmingham University and St George's Hospital, London, suggest that upping vitamin D levels may help ward off breast cancer. The scientists found that breast tissue contains an enzyme that activates vitamin D and that...

Safety and efficacy of chromium picolinate questioned in two papers.
May 1, 2004... Two recently-published scientific papers have been critical of both the efficacy and safety of chromium picolinate. The first, by J B Vincent in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 63 41-47, 2004, reviewing the role of trivalent chromium...

Herbal supplement boosts fertility.
May 1, 2004... A small pilot study published in the April issue of the Journal of Reproductive Medicine shows that a herbal supplement marketed as FertilityBlend may help to boost fertility in women who have difficulty conceiving. Preliminary findings...

Pharmachem's Phase 2 effective in trials.
May 1, 2004... In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, starch absorption averaged 66% lower in the group taking Pharmachem's all-natural starch neutralizer, Phase 2, compared to those on placebo. Furthermore, in two separate human studies the product was...

Rhodia's FloraFIT probiotics launched.
May 1, 2004... France-based Rhodia Food has introduced a new range of probiotic- containing cultures for fermented milks. The FloraFIT MK range consists of two innovative cultures for kefir, sour cream, buttermilk and fermented milk. The range combines the...

Shmucker debuts new Crisco shortening.
May 1, 2004... JS Shmucker Co, the maker of Crisco brand products, has added Crisco Zero Grams Trans Fat Per Serving All-Vegetable Shortening to its range. "Whether you are making the Classic Crisco Pie Crust or mom's special fried chicken, this new zero...

Australia/NZ approve Spherix' tagatose.
May 1, 2004... USA-headquartered Spherix Inc says that the statutory authority Food Standards Australia New Zealand has approved the firm's sweetener, tagatose, for use in foods. Marketed and produced by Spherix' licensee Arla Foods Ingredients, under the...

Unipath's Clearblue vits for pregnancy care.
May 1, 2004... Unipath of the UK has launched the first of a range of specialist pregnancy care vitamins and supplements, under the trade names Clearblue Folic Acid and Clearblue Pregnancy. These have been developed to help women who are trying to conceive,...

EFSA: science means more than deadlines.
May 1, 2004... A new generic health claim for wholegrains in heart disease has been approved under the self-regulatory scheme operated by the Swedish Nutrition Foundation. The ninth generic claim to be cleared under the food industry code states: "A...

Brain claim viable for Lucozade, says ASA.
May 1, 2004... A disputed claim for GlaxoSmithKline's Lucozade Energy drink as "brain energy in a bottle" has been cleared by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority. Challenged as to whether they could substantiate this claim, the advertisers said...

Cinnamon benefits type 2 diabetics?
May 1, 2004... Because of its insulin-like activity, cinnamon could also enhance the activity of insulin, according to researchers at the University of California and the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute in Santa Barbara, USA, reports...

DSM Nutritional makes breakthrough in lycopene/prostate cancer link.
May 1, 2004... Scientists at DSM Nutritional Products, the successor to Roche's Vitamins & Fine Chemicals Division which the Dutch firm has acquired (NIs passim), claim to have made a fundamental breakthrough in understanding how lycopene, the red carotenoid...

Lycopene may reduce fibroid tumors.
May 1, 2004... Lycopene, the antioxidant found in tomatoes that gives them their red color, may be able to reduce the size and incidence of fibroid tumors, according to an animal study presented at the annual Experimental Biology meeting held Washington DC,...

AustCancer's revisys supps for USA.
May 1, 2004... Through its subsidiary ACT (USA), Australian Cancer Technology says that its full range of revisys specialty nutritional supplements will be made available at the new Center for Integrative Health, founded by Barry Boyd at Greenwich...

Nu-Mega develops omega-3 process.
May 1, 2004... Brisbane, Australia-based Nu-Mega claims to be the first company to develop a method of incorporating omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid, one of the most important dietary components of fish oil, into everyday foods without the need for genetic...

Novel Food status for ADM sterols.
May 1, 2004... The European Union Commission has granted Novel Food status to Archer Daniels Midland for the use of plant-derived sterols and sterol esters in specified foods.

Bio-One acquires Interactive Nutrition.
May 1, 2004... Florida, USA-based Bio-One Corp has acquired Canada's Interactive Nutrition International, a manufacturer and distributor of nutritional supplements for athletes and general consumers. Interactive's purchase price is $23.4 million, consisting...

Natrol reports results for a troubled 2003.
May 1, 2004... US nutrition firm Natrol has posted a net income from continuing operations of $19,000 for the year ended December 31, 2003, falling 98.6% from $1.4 million in the prior year. Losses from continued operations, however, continued to decline,...

Irwin files suit against IPSG for defamation.
May 1, 2004... The USA's Irwin Naturals is preparing to file a defamation suit against fellow US firm IPSG for "torturous interference" in its Cholestaid contract with nutrition giant GNC and the dissemination of knowingly false statements for the purpose of...

Vital Living posts record sales for 2003.
May 1, 2004... Vital Living Corp generated record operating revenue in 2003 of around $2.9 million versus $261,000 in the previous year, equating to a massive approximate 1,000% increase. Conversely, net loss for the year surged to $30.6 million, or $0.96...

Foremost (Thailand) boosts investment.
May 1, 2004... Growing competition from non-dairy beverages has encouraged Foremost (Thailand), the local unit of Netherlands-based Friesland Coberco Dairy Foods, to invest 100 million baht ($2.5 million) in modernizing its two manufacturing facilities to...

NZ's Forest Herbs eyes EU market.
May 1, 2004... New Zealand's Forest Herbs Research, an exporter of natural health products, has signed an agreement to have some products manufactured in Italy by Milan-based distributor Named, as a means of expanding in the massive European Union market. ...

American Oriental's revenues leap 105%.
May 1, 2004... China-based American Oriental Bioengineering, a biotechnology, medical and soy bean protein peptide producer, reported revenues of $20.9 million for 2003, a leap of 105% on the previous year. It says the record results reflect a significant...

Australia's MEDEC sees record orders.
May 1, 2004... In March this year, monthly orders received by Perth, Australia-based complementary health care company MEDEC had, for the first time, exceeded $1 million, reaching $1.3 million. Following its successful stock market listing in 2003, MEDEC...

Huge revenue rise at Health Sciences.
May 1, 2004... Health Sciences Group says that revenues for the full year ended December 2003 increased 221% to $17.8 million from $5.5 million, 70% of which came from Quality Botanical Ingredients, a manufacturer of bulk botanical and nutritional materials...

Nutra International hit by Lonza lawsuit.
May 1, 2004... USA-based nutritional supplements firm Nutraceutical International Corp has been accused of patent infringement by the Switzerland- headquartered firm Lonza and a law suit has been filed against Nutraceutical and a number of its subsidiaries....

ZeaVision and DSM settle patent dispute.
May 1, 2004... The St Louis, USA-headquartered ZeaVision group and DSM Nutritional Products (formerly Roche's vitamins division) have resolved a patent dispute for the sale and promotion of zeaxanthin, a dietary carotenoid that is found in the macula and...

PacificHealth posts strong revenue rise.
May 1, 2004... PacificHealth Labs, a US nutritional company based in New Jersey, says that its revenues for the first quarter of 2004 were approximately $2.3 million, a leap of 64% compared with the same period last year. The growth is due to increases in...

Corn Products buys 75% stake in GTC.
May 1, 2004... Corn Products International of Illinois, USA, says it has acquired a 75% stake in GTC Nutrition, based in Golden, Colorado. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. GTC is a supplier of a variety of short-chain...

Naturex' 1st-qtr 2004 organic growth 17.6%.
May 1, 2004... The French nutraceuticals and plants extracts group Naturex has reported rapid acceleration in organic growth for the first quarter of 2004, achieving a 17.6% increase to 7.7 million euros ($9.3 million) at constant exchange rates versus the...

House of Health looks for Zambia distributors.
May 1, 2004... South Africa's giant nutrition firm House of Health is scouting for suitable local distributors for its food supplement products in Zambia, reports the Times of Zambia. Speaking at a meeting of small-scale businesses at Le Soleil farm in...

Fonterra expands colostrum program.
May 1, 2004... Wellington, New Zealand-based dairy firm Fonterra Co-operative Group is to increase its collection of colostrum during 2004-5 to meet growing demand for this speciality ingredient, which is used in a range of niche health products. ...

Efamol increases its market presence.
May 1, 2004... The UK's Efamol, a privately-owned manufacturer of essential fatty acid- based nutritional supplements, has reported that, in less than six months following its split from Dutch firm Royal Numico, it is broadening its penetration of the...

Wassen wins Queen's Award for Enterprise.
May 1, 2004... The UK's Wassen International, a small privately-owned producer of nutritional supplements, has won the Queen's Award for Enterprise. The company was purchased by its management in 2002 and since then has enjoyed a growing international...

Nutrinnovator's AIM placing to be L2.5M.
May 1, 2004... UK-based firm Nutrinnovator, set up to market healthy snacks and drinks products last year, is to join the Alternative Investment Market with a L2.5 million ($4.5 million) placement in May, notes a report by the Financial Times. The...

Ransom acquires Health Perception.
May 1, 2004... Leading UK-based natural health care company William Ransom & Son has acquired fellow UK firm Health Perception for L7.8 million ($13.9 million) in cash and shares, marking its fifth acquisition in three years. Health Perception is an...

Raisio to establish new research centers.
May 1, 2004... Finland-based nutrition, chemicals and life sciences firm Raisio Group is increasing its focus on R&D in food, feed, functional food ingredients and food diagnostics, as part of the company's current strategic plan, under which new research...

Danone posts 6% rise in 1st-qtr sales.
May 1, 2004... Group Danone saw its share price rise 2.4% on the unexpected news of its strongest-ever revenue growth in the first quarter for four years, with sales climbing 6% to 3.41 billion euros ($4.1 billion) from the comparable period in 2003. ...

Bordino starts energy drinks production.
May 1, 2004... Russia's Borodino Group, a manufacturer of juices, lemonade, mineral water, confectionery products, ice-cream, tinned vegetables and other foodstuffs, has added energy drinks to its portfolio, production of which commenced in April, according...

Site in Turkmenistan for medicinal herbs.
May 1, 2004... According to the Turkman Dowlet Habarlar Gullugy news agency, the SA Niyazov Buyan Agroindustrial Complex is cultivating a three-hectare medicinal herbs plantation near to the village of Lam in the Garabekevul district of Turkmenistan. The...

Solid set of results for Nature's Sunshine.
May 1, 2004... USA-based herbals and vitamins manufacturer Nature's Sunshine Products has announced its results for the first quarter ended March 31, which show that revenues totaled $76.9 million, an increase of 22.7% on the previous year. Net income rose...

Yet another record quarter for NBTY.
May 1, 2004... US nutritional supplements giant NBTY has yet again posted record results for its fiscal second quarter ended March 31, which show a 58% increase in sales to $440 million. Net income reached $41 million, or $0.60 per share, a jump of 105%...

Bio-One acquires stake in Chinese firm.
May 1, 2004... Bio-One Corp, a US company which is building up a business in the nutritional supplements industry "via vertical integration mergers," says it has acquired majority control of WeiFang Shengtai, a Chinese manufacturer of glucose. The transaction...

Forbes Medi-tech is optimistic about 2004.
May 1, 2004... Forbes Medi-tech of Canada says that revenues for the year ended December 31, 2003, reached C$14.3 million ($10.4 million), an increase of 79% on the previous year's showing. Net loss for the year improved substantially to C$1.1 million or...

Forthcoming meetings/events.
May 1, 2004... The fifth annual Natural Products Expo Europe will take place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on June 16-17, 2004. For further information, telephone New Hope Natural Media on +44 208 232 1600 or e- mail: www.expoeurope.com. The 6th Asia...

People on the move.
May 1, 2004... Barbara Schneeman is the new director of the Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements at the US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. She replaces Christine Taylor who, last...