Nutraceuticals International articles from November 2003

Nutraceuticals International archives from November 2003

Codex breakthrough on risk assessment for max nutrient levels.
November 1, 2003... The dietary supplement industry is hailing as a major breakthrough a new consensus in the Codex Alimentarius discussions on vitamin and mineral supplements that establishes risk assessment as the key criterion for setting maximum levels of...

FSANZ proposal to ban kava in foods.(Food Standards Australia New Zealand)
November 1, 2003... The joint regulatory authority, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, has proposed retaining its existing ban on kava added to foods, while continuing to allow the use of the controversial herb in dietary supplements sold as foods in or out of...

US and European probiotics makers battle low consumer awareness.
November 1, 2003... Limited consumer awareness threatens to restrain the development of the US and European probiotics markets. In regions such as the USA and UK, consumer knowledge of probiotics is extremely low and is restricted to a few specific products. Even...

South African millers compelled to fortify flour.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... South Africa's Minister of Health, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, has announced that, effective last month, all the country's millers are compelled, by law, to fortify their white and brown bread flour and maize meal with specific micronutrients....

CHFA calls for tax-free status for Canada's natural health products.(Canadian Health Food Association)
November 1, 2003... The Canadian Health Food Association has launched a petition urging the federal government to keep natural health products free of the Goods and Services Tax. There is a threat of the GST/HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) being extended to...

FSANZ seeks input on non-culinary herbs.(Food Standards Australia New Zealand)
November 1, 2003... Food Standards Australia New Zealand is seeking public comment on options for regulating non-culinary herbs in foods. The authority has released an Initial Assessment Report on Proposal P260, which reviews issues surrounding the use of...

foods for well-being and new dietary supplements.
November 1, 2003... foods for well-being and new dietary supplements. This was the view of most of the panel, but some felt the development of functional foods will not be sustained, and they foresaw a return to nutritional fundamentals for health. Those who...

Future foods for Well Being: expert panel views the next 25 years.
November 1, 2003... The development of Foods for Well Being (FfWB) is being driven by both push and pull factors, ie, pressures which make dietary improvement seem a desirable option and opportunities making it feasible, says a new study, reporting on...

New Zealand mulls effects and costs of Pan Pharma recall.
November 1, 2003... The recall of health and pharmaceutical products made by Pan Pharmaceuticals of Australia, or containing ingredients supplied by the company, has produced chaos in that country's health foods sector (NIs passim), but the effect in New Zealand...

Indonesia "must boost herbals industry".(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Indonesia should seek a greater share of both the domestic and overseas herbal medicines markets, according to the secretary of the Central Java provincial administration, Mr Mardjiyono. Speaking in Surakarta, he noted that many people in...

Vietnam milk producers plan sales boost.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... In Vietnam, producers of milk products, including those with added vitamins, are launching extensive advertising campaigns with the aim of raising their sales, according to the Vietnamese News Agency. Vietnamese products mainly compete...

UK's FSA checks label views of consumers.(Food Standards Agency)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The UK Food Standards Agency recently commissioned a study to test the effectiveness and appeal for consumers of various new nutrition label designs. The key findings of this research were that: - while all labels had their pros and cons, a...

New EU GMO regs in force - major impact on producers expected.
November 1, 2003... After some years of discussion and delay, the European Union regulations on genetically-modified organisms in foods have come into force. The new laws are contained in two separate regulations. The first, Regulation EC No 829/2003, lays down...

More flak for Commission's proposed regulation on health and nutrition claims.
November 1, 2003... The European Commission's proposed regulation on health and nutrition claims has come in for yet more criticism from trade associations with interests in the food supplements market. One of these is the Association of the European...

All-party support for diet-cancer action.
November 1, 2003... An all-party group of UK Members of Parliament has called for more effective use of diet to reduce the risk of cancer. "With dietary interventions, we have the potential to prevent around a third of all cancers," said Ian Gibson, chairman of...

UK Consumers' Association hits out on EU health claims proposals.
November 1, 2003... As the UK Parliament began its consideration of the European Commission's proposed regulation on health and nutrition claims (NI vol 8, no 8), the Consumers' Association turned up the political heat in the UK with an article in its Which?...

US dietary supps associations support Biden/Hatch steroids legislation.
November 1, 2003... The five leading trade associations in the USA's dietary supplement industry came together recently to support legislation co-sponsored by Senators Joseph Biden (Democrat-Delaware) and Orrin Hatch (Republican- Utah). Introduced October 24, S...

FDA acts on unit-dose iron-containing supps.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a Federal Register notice advising manufacturers of dietary supplements and drugs containing 30mg or more of iron per dose that they are no longer required, by law, to use unit-dose packaging. ...

Unapproved Internet health claims in USA.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A review of the reliability of information provided on the eight most- widely used herbal supplements from 443 web sites in the USA has shown that eight out of 10 made health claims for such products, which is illegal for dietary supplements...

French homeopathics under stress.
November 1, 2003... Manufacturers and practitioners in the French homeopathics sector have lashed out at government plans to cut the reimbursement rate for homeopathic medicines from 65% to 35%. The move is part of a raft of measures in the social security...

New functional foods center for Ireland.
November 1, 2003... A new Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre is being set up in Cork, Eire, with funding of 16 million euros ($18.3 million) from Science Foundation Ireland - the largest sum ever awarded by the SFI to a research project in the Irish Republic. The...

Skane's ProViva is a "functional food".(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Now that it has been both documented and approved, Swedish firm Skane Dairy's fruit drink ProViva, which contains the active bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum 299v, has been cleared as a functional food in Sweden. As a result, the company...

Monsanto working to lower trans-fats.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Following the recent announcement that the US Food and Drug Administration will require food manufacturers to disclose the amount of trans-fat on food labels by 2006 (NIs passim), US biotechnology major Monsanto is trying to develop soy beans...

Merck KGaA reveals calcium pidolate prod.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... German drugmaker Merck KGaA has introduced a new dietary supplement, calcium pidolate, as an active ingredient and calcium salt for the supplementation of pharmaceuticals. Merck says that its calcium pidolate is a soluble salt that offers...

Recent product news and launches.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Nics Corp, a Korean food ingredient supplier, is to market Enzymotec of IsraelOs novel lipid, called InFat, to dairy and infant formula producers. NicsO president, Hyung-Chun Suh, has forecast that the company will sell some $3.5 million worth...

US NFPA tells FDA: "no trans-fat footnote".(National Food Processors Association )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The US National Food Processors Association has told the Food and Drug Administration that a nutritional label footnote on trans fat should not be included in the Nutrition Facts panel of food products. Responding to the FDA's request for...

US endocrinologists' supp/nutra guidelines.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has published its medical guidelines for the clinical use of dietary supplements and nutraceuticals in Endocrine Practice (September/October issue). They discuss DS/N as alternative-care...

US FDA halts supp sales over obesity, ED claims.
November 1, 2003... The US Food and Drug Administration has obtained a permanent injunction against a group of companies and their president, Jared Wheat, after they repeatedly sold dietary supplements making disease claims for the treatment of obesity and...

Rhodia unveils new nutrition bar at IFT.(International Food Trade )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Rhodia Food, a subsidiary of the French chemical group Rhodia, unveiled a unique means of combining the benefits of probiotics with superior- quality calcium and fiber in a shelf-stable nutritional bar while preserving shelf-life, at the...

Eurogerm to launch nutra cereal product.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Eurogerm, a French producer of ingredients for flour milling, breadmaking and the food industry, has developed a range of cereal- based formulations to combat obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. The firm's president,...

Coca Cola adds sterols to Minute Maid juice.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... In the USA, Coca Cola's Minute Maid division is introducing an orange juice with added plant sterols that will be marketed as a cholesterol- reducing product, according to the company. The decision reflects Coca Cola's ongoing moves to sell...

PowerBar moves into energy drinks.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... US firm PowerBar Inc, which has been fueling athletes worldwide with its nutritional energy products, announced at the 2003 annual Interbike International Bicycle Expo that it will now also quench athletes' thirst. The energy bar creator has...

Low-carb food range from Hain Celestial.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Hain Celestial of the USA has launched Carb Fit, a new low-carbohydrate food range which will include cookies, pasta and snacks, and is to be co-branded with some of the firm's existing brands, including Hain Pure Snax, DeBotes Pasta and Health...

Soy beverages for Hispanics from Excess.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Florida, USA-based Excess is introducing a range of nutritional soy beverages aimed at the Hispanic market, in response to the large proportion of lactose-intolerant children in this population, and has showcased Soy Fantastico, which is...

Aus GP's recommend St John's Wort use.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... One-third of 153 GPs surveyed in Australia recommended St John's Wort for depression, according to a study presented at the scientific convention of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and reported by the Australian Associated...

Resveratrol shows promise for COPD.(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Researchers in the UK have published results in the Journal Thorax which show that resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, can reduce the inflammatory response of immune cells in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary...

Study sees chromium benefit in PCOS.(polycystic ovarian syndrome)
November 1, 2003... In yet further positive news for supplementation with chromium (NIs vol 8, nos 9 and 10), results from a new study by the US National Institutes of Health show that taking 1,000mcg of this mineral as chromium picolinate significantly enhances...

Iron supps may help increase birth weight.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The effect of iron supplementation from week 20 to 28 of pregnancy on the occurrence of anemia and low birth weight neonates has been investigated by Mary Cogswell and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta,...

Collagen hydrolysate in cartilage metabolism and regeneration.
November 1, 2003... To recognize the advances in nutrition research related to osteoarthritis and discuss its relevance, health care professionals specializing in joint health gathered at an educational session entitled the Role of Collagen Hydrolysate in...

Numico's interest in supplements comes to an end with sale of GNC and Vitamex.
November 1, 2003... Royal Numico of the Netherlands has finally admitted defeat in its battle to carve out a successful and significant niche in the vitamins and supplements sector by selling off two major units. The first is the sale of General Nutrition Centers,...

Cryptoxanthin cuts lung cancer risk.
November 1, 2003... High prediagnostic serum beta-cryptoxanthin levels have been found to be associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer in a recent cohort study of Chinese people, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Data...

Satietrol positive in suppressing appetite.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... US firm Pacific Health Laboratories' appetite control ingredient Satietrol has shown a statistically-significant reduction on caloric intake, according to a small trial of 20 overweight people. Robert Portman, chief executive of PHLI, said...

Lycopene may help in prostate cancer recov.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A small clinical trial carried out in India suggests that the tomato- derived antioxidant lycopene may aid the recovery of patients who have been treated for advanced prostate cancer. The team at New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical...

Nestle to grow focus on nutritional products.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Nestle, the world's largest consumer foods group, says that it will give increasing focus to the production and sale of nutritional products. The Switzerland-headquartered firm also said that it was looking for joint ventures in the sector,...

Nutraceutical profits soar over nine months.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Spanish biotechnology concern Nutraceutical, which is part of the domestic food group Natra, has posted a huge, 198%, leap in profits for the first nine months of 2003, boosted by higher margins and sales of its nutraceutical products. The...

Vital Living to roll our slow-release products.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The USA's Vital Living is to commercialize extended-release formulations of its leading nutraceutical products. The firm says that it will use Geomatrix drug delivery technology to develop proprietary, sustained-release formulations of the...

Peter Black deal boosts Merck KGaA sales.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... German drugs and chemicals maker Merck KGaA has reported a sharp increase in sales of its consumer health care products for the third quarter of 2003, boosted by the inclusion, for the first time, of the recently-acquired Peter Black Direct...

V-Net buys 20% stake in beverages firm.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... V-Net Beverages of Temecula, California, says it has completed negotiations to acquire a 20% interest in Nutritional Beverages, a new functional drinks manufacturer based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. V-Net's chief executive, Michael Brette,...

Vital Living acquires Doctors for Nutrition.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Vital Living, which calls itself the "the physician's nutraceutical company," has acquired fellow US firm Doctors for Nutrition, a San Diego-headquartered private concern. No financials of the deal were released but Vital Living noted that...

Nutrition 21 share sale raises $3.3 million.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Nutrition 21, which specializes in chromium-based supplements, says it has completed a private placement of over 4 million shares of common stock raising just under $3.3 million gross. The shares were sold to institutional and private...

Good start to year for Weider Nutrition.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Salt Lake City, USA-based Weider Nutrition International says that net sales for the fiscal 2004 first quarter were $63.6 million, down 8.2% compared with the like, year-earlier period. It was noted that the figure for the fiscal 2003 first...

Revenues take a dip at Integrated.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Integrated BioPharma, a New Jersey, USA-based biopharmaceutical and nutritional supplements company, says that operating income for the fiscal year ended June 30, increased 32% to just over $894,000 or $0.09 per share, though revenues declined...

Vitality re-launches with nutraceuticals.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Vitality Products of Toronto, Canada, has announced its relaunch with a new product line that it calls "whole food nutraceuticals." The products consist of "time-release mega-potency vitamins," and Vitality says it expects the line to be...

Nutrition 21 losses widen on charges, weight-loss product sales slow.
November 1, 2003... The USA's Nutrition 21, a developer of chromium-based nutritional supplements, has reported a lackluster set of financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2003, as revenues fell and the firm booked a significant,...

Raisio nutritional unit disappoints in third quarter, company swings back to loss.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Finland's Raisio has reported a disappointing performance from its nutrition business for the third quarter and nine-month period ended September 30, 2003, as the cost of restructuring and slowing sales of its cholesterol-lowering margarine...

Robust performance by Abbott nutritionals.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... US health care major Abbott Laboratories has reported solid earnings growth for third-quarter 2003 on the back of its core pharmaceutical sales, although the costs associated with marketing a new arthritis treatment took a chunk off the bottom...

Atkins Nutritionals sells majority share to VCs.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The USA's Atkins Nutritionals, the company which sells diet foods and supplements relating to its late founder's controversial low- carbohydrate weight-loss plan, has sold a majority share of the business to the private equity firm Parthenon...

Rhoto Pharma and Morishita in alliance.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Japan's Rhoto Pharmaceutical and Morishita Jintan say they have agreed to form a business and capital alliance in a bid to cope with intense competition, reports Nikkei News. Under the terms of the deal, the firms will share domestic and...

Carrington files suit against Abundant.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... USA-based Carrington Laboratories says that it has filed a trademark- related lawsuit against Abundant Heath and Wellness claiming that the latter has infringed its Manapol registered trade mark. Texas- headquartered Carrington is seeking...

Forthcoming meetings/events.
November 1, 2003... The International Alliance of Dietary Supplement Associations will hold a conference on The Future of Food Supplements in Europe in Prague, Czech Republic, May 26-27, 2004. For details, contact IADSA at tel: +32 (0 ) 2 209 1155; fax:: +32 (0) 2...

People on the move.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The US Council for Responsible Nutrition has three new board members: Samuel Caster of Mannatech; Benoit Cossart of Rhodia; and Mike Vaughan of Nashai Biotech; The Grocery Manufacturers of America has named Richard Martinas vice-...