Nutraceuticals International articles from October 2005

Nutraceuticals International archives from October 2005

Industry/govt meeting reviews challenges for European food supplements sector.
October 1, 2005... At a time of much legislative change in the nutraceuticals arena, senior government representatives from the food and health sectors of more than 20 European Union and neighboring non-US countries met with the European Commission, scientific...

AESGP views on EMEA/HMPC draft statement on herbal drugs with risks.
October 1, 2005... The European Medicines Agency's Herbal Medicinal Products Committee has issued for comment as it stands pending further revision, its 1992 draft public statement on the list of herbal drugs with serious health risks published by the Committee...

UK's MHRA warns on TCM slimming aids.(Traditional Chinese medicine)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency says it has become aware of the availability of a number of potentially dangerous and illegal traditional Chinese medicine slimming aids on the domestic market. It says that...

Enzymes in food applications: study.
October 1, 2005... Increasing price sensitivity and market competition are emphasising the need for continuous product development in the European market for enzymes in food applications. Producers are mainly focussing on improving the performance of existing...

Aging population a key to European market for dietary supplements.
October 1, 2005... The highly-fragmented European dietary supplements markets witnessed explosive growth in the early 1990s, says a new report from Frost & Sullivan, which notes that, with very little regulatory control over market participants, products were...

France slammed over food supps directive.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Last month, the European Court of Justice condemned the French government in a case brought by the European Commission (case C-57/05) for its failure to implement the European Union's Food Supplements Directive. In its defence, according...

European guidance for plant-based supps.
October 1, 2005... The ad hoc group of experts on food supplements of the committee of experts on nutrition, food safety and consumer health, which was set up by the Council of Europe, has published a set of Guidelines on the Quality, Safety and Marketing of...

Dietary supplements in the European Union - the next stages.
October 1, 2005... As currently in force, the European Union Food Supplements directive only covers the use of vitamins and minerals in food supplements; it specifies the vitamins and minerals that can be used, the chemical sources to supply these micronutrients...

AER Amendment for supplements dropped from US Senate Defense bill.
October 1, 2005... Following discussion on the US Senate floor earlier this month, Senator Richard Durbin (Democrat-Illinois) won a commitment from the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to prioritize efforts to pass...

US food allergen labeling law effective January 2006 for all foods and supplements.
October 1, 2005... In the USA, any food (including dietary supplements) that contains a major food allergen must include specific warnings when labeled on or after January 1, 2006. This means exactly what it says: labels applied to food or dietary supplements on...

"Danone body" fad boosts Spanish market for wellness products.
October 1, 2005... These days, Spaniards are becoming increasingly interested in staying fit and healthy, and the trend is boosting sales of nutritional supplements such as fat burners, vitamins and sport drinks. "It's all about having a "Danone body," muses...

US soy products demand to reach $8.65 billion by 2009; Freedonia study.
October 1, 2005... US demand for soy products is expected to increase over 5% per year to $8.65 billion in 2009 compared to $5.70 billion in 1999. Historically, soy products have been primarily consumed in the food market, according to Soy Products & Markets, a...

Only a third of US women take vitamin to help prevent birth defects, survey finds.
October 1, 2005... Just one-third of childbearing-age women in the USA are taking a multivitamin containing the B vitamin folic acid daily to prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine in their future babies, according to a decade of surveys by March of...

US consumers' problems with qualified health claims: resistance to marketing?
October 1, 2005... US consumers do not understand qualifying statements that use only words to convey the strength of science underlying health claims for conventional foods or dietary supplements, a survey by the US Food and Drug Administration has found. ...

India seeks tighter regulations of its probiotics market.(food additives industry insight )
October 1, 2005... India's growing consumer base has made it a focus for companies targeting the nutraceutical arena but, at least in the probiotics sector, this expansion is leading to increased regulatory attention. In the latest move, the Office of the...

Indian doctor group seeks GM labeling.
October 1, 2005... The Indian Council of Medical Research has called for mandatory labeling of genetically-modified foods, which do not fall under the remit of current regulations. The development comes as India is in the midst of a national debate on the...

"Supreme Greens with MSM" FTC settlement.
October 1, 2005... Three people and two companies have settled US Federal Trade Commission charges over their roles in the deceptive marketing of herbal supplement Supreme Greens. In two separate settlements, Supreme Greens' developer Alejandro Guerrero and...

NBTY to pay $2M over US FTC order issues.
October 1, 2005... NBTY is to pay a $2.0 million civil penalty to settle charges that it violated the terms of a 1995 order of the US Federal Trade Commission by making false and misleading health claims about two of its products. The FTC charged that the firm...

ITV Direct sues US FTC over "harassment".
October 1, 2005... ITV Direct has filed suit against the US Federal Trade Commission, seeking relief and damages for "a concerted effort by the agency to destroy the company's business and suppress its rights to free commercial speech under the First and Fifth...

Indonesians taking more vitamins, as prevention is seen as better than cure.
October 1, 2005... Consumers in Indonesia are starting to take a more preventative approach to health care, which is driving sales of vitamins and dietary supplements, according to a new report from Euromonitor International, entitled OTC Health Care in...

Australia's soy milk sector expanding.
October 1, 2005... Soy milk sales in Australia are increasing due to the greater range of products available, including specially-modified milks or those with additional ingredients such as added fiber, isoflavones, vitamins and iron, according to recent research...

Changing consumer preferences favor nutras, even as new regs threaten.
October 1, 2005... Increasingly health-conscious consumers are now focusing on foods not only for their organoleptic characteristics but also for their nutritional properties. Reflective of this trend, consumers are seeking products containing health-promoting...

Japanese news briefs.(Drug tonic sales in japan)(food retailer advertisement)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... - Total Japanese sales of new quasi-drug tonic drinks in the first week of August exceeded those of over-the-counter mini-drinks and tonic drinks, according to market research firm Intage. Turnover of tonic drinks totaled around 3.5 billion yen...

Pomegranate juice may cut CHD progress.
October 1, 2005... Men and women with coronary heart disease who drink one glass of pomegranate juice daily may improve blood flow to their heart, according to a new study. This research is the first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial showing...

Chromium picolinate aids glycemic control.
October 1, 2005... A sub-set of analysis from a Diachrome XLHealth clinical trial has demonstrated that adding daily supplementation with Diachrome (a chromium picolinate and biotin supplement from Nutrition 21) to prescription treatment regimens can...

Natural alternative to arthritis drugs?
October 1, 2005... Arthritis sufferers could have a natural alternative for the treatment of this painful condition, according to new university-based research. The work, conducted by the Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education and Research, shows...

Nutratech's Advantra Z safe in weight loss.
October 1, 2005... Two recent scientific studies, conducted at McGill Nutrition and Food Science Center and University of California at San Francisco, USA, have shown Advantra Z, US nutraceutical ingredient maker Nutratech's proprietary Citrus aurantium (bitter...

Black tea powerful an antioxidant as green.
October 1, 2005... A recent survey conducted by Opinion Research reveals that Americans overwhelmingly associate health benefits with green tea and overlook those of regular, black tea. 71% identify hot green tea as a good source of antioxidants, while only 34%...

Research continues to support use of margarine in heart-healthy diets.
October 1, 2005... "A new study gives the 'thumbs up' to soft, trans fat-free margarines in terms of foods that can help reduce the risk of heart disease," notes a statement from the USA's National Association of Margarine Manufacturers. This particular...

Anger over Australian energy drink "Speed".
October 1, 2005... An energy-boosting tonic drink recently launched in Australia, has generated strong disapproval over its name, Speed, which is street slang for amphetamines. The chief executive of the Australian Drug Foundation, Bill Stronach, said: " I...

Sanitarium launches wholegrain cereal range.
October 1, 2005... Australia's largest health food producer, The Sanitarium Health Food Company, has become the first local manufacturer to launch a wholegrain breakfast cereal range and establish a stringent new nutrition standard for its breakfast products...

Aloe Vera gel drink launched in Uganda.
October 1, 2005... A new immune-boosting drink containing Aloe Vera has been launched in Kampala, Uganda, offering a unique opportunity to farmers of the plant, according to the Aloe Vera Development Association. Dan Ssesanga, the AVDA's operations director, said...

LTP and Physcience sign olibra distribution deal.
October 1, 2005... LTP, a Karlshamn, Sweden-headquartered provider of lipid systems for functional foods, drug delivery and skin care, has signed a distribution agreement with French food supplement firm Physcience Laboratory over the former's satiety ingredient...

DMS raises citric acid product prices 15%.
October 1, 2005... Netherlands-based DSM Nutritional Products, a leading global supplier of vitamins, carotenoids and other fine chemicals, says that it will increase the price of its citric acid products 15%. The firm, which is the successor to Swiss...

WHO rules Eprova's Metafolin as safe.
October 1, 2005... Eprova, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Germany's Merck KGaA engaged in R&D on active pharmaceutical ingredient, says that its product Metafolin has been approved as a safe substitute for folic acid in supplements by the World Heatlh Organization...

China's Taiji Group chief outlines the company's business and objectives.
October 1, 2005... Chongqing, China-based Taiji Group is one of the four leading Chinese pharmaceutical companies that, in 2004, successfully challenged GlaxoSmithKline's patent on rosiglitazone, a type 2 diabetes drug, which GSK later voluntarily gave up in...

Rohto ties up with Pharma Foods.
October 1, 2005... Ophthalmological drugmaker Rohto Pharmaceutical has signed an accord with fellow Japanese company Pharma Foods International, a Kyoto-based functional food material developer, for joint development of nutritionals which includes an equity...

Enzymotec's new DHA supp development.(Docosahexaenoic Acid )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Israeli company Enzymotec says that its scientists have been able to develop a new docosahexaenoic acid-delivery system, capable of improving DHA bio-availability. "We were able to produce a DHA-rich phospholipid conjugate, which mimics...

Fortitech Asia debuts fortification concepts.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Food manufacturers throughout Asia, except for the giant multinationals, may still be relatively unaware of food fortification as a means of adding health value and differentiation to their products, according to US nutrition premixes firm...

Walgreens gains rights to Theragran.(acquired the formula)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Walgreens, the USA's largest drugstore chain, says it has acquired the US rights to the Theragran-M brand of multivitamins from drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The retailer said that the...

EuroPharma introduces LitoZin to USA.(Hyben Vital AB)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... US natural dietary supplements group EuroPharma has acquired North American rights to LitoZin, a patented, clinically-studied botanical extract that has shown effectiveness in the treatment of osteoarthritis. LitoZin, which was discovered in...

Merck KGaA unveils multi-million-dollar Asian natural joint-health market plan.
October 1, 2005... Germany-based Merck KGaA, one of the world's oldest pharmaceutical- chemical company, has announced new plans for its wholly-owned division Merck Consumer Health Care to establish a new joint health market in Asia, estimated to be worth $100.0...

Energy-drink maker for Uganda.
October 1, 2005... The Mukwano Group is to manufacture energy-giving drinks which are suitable alternatives for the energy biscuits which the government of Uganda now imports from South Africa for its army. Chief executive Ibnul Hasan Risvi said that the new...

Hectic period for Danisco, opening units in China/Singapore, expanding in France.
October 1, 2005... The past few weeks have seen a great deal of activity from Danish food ingredients major Danisco with events such as opening a new facility in China, setting-up a new center in Singapore and expansion in France. On October 12, Danisco...

USANA purchases facility in China.(personal care manufacturing facility )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... USANA Health Sciences, a Salt Lake City, USA-based firm which specializes in nutritional and weight-management products, says that it has bought a personal care manufacturing facility in China. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the...

IdeaSphere pulls out of Metabolife deal.
October 1, 2005... IdeaSphere, the New York-based health and wellness group that owns Twinlab and Nature's Herbs, as well as Rebus Publishing, has decided to pull out of an agreement it signed to acquire certain assets of Metabolife International, the troubled...

Record year for Natural Alternatives.(sales record)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... San Marcos, California, USA-based Natural Alternatives International, which specializes in customized nutritional supplements, has posted a 16% increase in revenues for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005, to $91.5 million, the highest level in...

Martek results fail to impress analysts.(Martek Biosciences Corp)
October 1, 2005... Martek Biosciences Corp of Columbia, USA, has posted a disappointing set of results for its third fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2005, which led to the firm's share price taking a bit of a battering. Revenues were down 17% to $39.5 million,...

Nutrition 21 confident about coming year.(Dong Sung Pharmaceuticals Co)
October 1, 2005... The USA's Nutrition 21 has posted a 32.1% decrease in revenues for its fiscal fourth quarter ended June 30, 2005, to $1.9 million, while net loss was $3.7 million, or $0.10 per share, a 42.3% rise compared to the like, year-earlier period. For...

EuroPharma/VitaPlant prods for USA.
October 1, 2005... Europeans far exceed Americans in the development of truly new botanical remedies but, thanks to an agreement between a USA-based company and its Swiss research institute partner, new products will soon reach US consumers. EuroPharma, a Green...

DSM opens new R&D center in China.(research and development)
October 1, 2005... Netherlands-based DSM, the world-leading supplier of life science and nutritional products, performance materials and industrial chemicals, last month opened its first R&D Center in China, located in Shanghai. This will be the company's...

Terbatietis' new plant.
October 1, 2005... Latvian health food and ingredients producer Terbatietis has opened a new factory in the country's capital, Riga, according to the Baltic Business News. The new plant, which cost 130,000 litas ($223,000) to build, will allow the firm to double...

Galaxy hires Goldman, Sachs to aid restructuring.(Galaxy Nutritional Foods)(contracts)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Galaxy Nutritional Foods, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, USA, says it has been working with financial analysts Goldman, Sachs & Co to explore strategic alternatives which will enhance shareholder value, including the possible sale of the...

Shareholders approve NutraCea RiceX merger.(NutraCea)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... California, USA-based NutraCea, a company focused on rice stabilization research and dietary supplement development, and fellow Californian firm The RiceX Company say that the proposed merger between the two companies has been approved by their...

Medical Nutrition 2nd quarter sales up 72%.(company earnings)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Medical Nutrition USA, headquartered in Englewood, New Jersey, has released its financial results for the second quarter ended July 31. The firm's sales for the period increased 72% to $1.9 million from $1.1 million the previous year, largely...

Glanbia Nutritionals expands US R&D.(increasing the facility)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Irish firm Glanbia Nutritionals, a division of Glanbia, says that the expansion of its USA-based R&D capability is designed to meet customer need through new technology, process developments and application testing. The firm's 5,500 square-foot...

Ajinomoto to develop capsiate-based foods.
October 1, 2005... Japanese food, amino acids and medical research firm Ajinomoto says it intends to strengthen and further develop its health food business, particularly with the creation of a food range containing the compound capsiate.Capsiate is derived from...

Tata Tea says hello to Fmali Herb.
October 1, 2005... India's Tata Tea company, owner of the Tetley brand, says it is to buy the USA-based Fmali Herb group in order to gain the Good Earth tea business. Good Earth, which is located in Santa Cruz, California, holds 3.7% of the US specialty tea...

Forthcoming meetings/events.
October 1, 2005... The Fourth Annual World Food Technology and Innovation Forum will take place in Dublin, Ireland, November 9-10. For details, call: +44 (0) 20 7940 7070 or visit: www.food.access-events.com. Foods for the Healthy Elderly - Fit for Growth is...

People on the move.
October 1, 2005... - Swiss foods giant Nestle SA, in what is seen as a rare move for the company, has recruited an outsider, Procter & Gamble's Paul Polman, to become its new chief financial officer. - New Zealand health food company Comvita, which...