When scientists from Sweden reported earlier this year that several
ordinary foodstuffs could contain high levels of acrylamide - a
potentially cancer-causing chemical - governments, food
associations and food manufacturers drew a...
Newly formed agency 'down under', the Food Standards Australia New
Zealand (FSANZ), this week invited interested parties and
organisations to comment on a number of proposed changes to the
Food Standards Code, including...
US trade body the Council for Responsible Nutrition said this week
that its Omega-3 Working Group has ratified a voluntary monograph
intended to raise the bar for the quality of long chain Omega-3 EPA
and DHA products marketed in...
The Ephedra Education Council (EEC) has responded to yesterday's
news that as many as one third of the US population now suffers
from obesity with a statement promoting the safety and efficacy of
the dietary supplement ephedra.
The weight-loss services provider Weight Watchers International is
suing Florida-based supplement company USA Prescriptions for
placing unauthorised pop-up ads for diet drugs on the
WeightWatchers website.
Speaking at the annual CRN conference yesterday, president John
Cordaro called upon the dietary supplement industry to promote
growth "by restoring consumer confidence in using dietary
supplements."
The US Food and Drug Administration announced this week that it has
issued a 'cyber letter' to the operator of an Internet website that
was selling Yellow Jackets, an herbal product, as an alternative to
illicit street drugs.
Following the FTC's recent report on false claims made by weight
loss products, the Strategic Research Institute in New York is
holding a forum for weight loss marketers to learn about the latest
findings, investigations, guidelines...
A White House health policy adviser on the American President's
Council of Economic Advisers has been chosen to fill the role,
empty since January 2001, of commissioner for the US Food and Drug
Administration.
Coming after recent research highlighted the risks of HRT, the
American Botanical Council is to produce a scientific review of
black cohosh, a herb used by many women to treat menopause
symptoms.
The US Federal Trade Commission last week released a report
claiming that the false and misleading advertising claims made
about weight-loss products have increased over the last decade.
Lonza, the Swiss-based pharmaceuticals company, has said that the
US Food and Drug Administration has allowed the sale of PepZin GI,
the subject of a new dietary ingredient submission to the federal
agency.
New legislation proposed earlier this month by the authorities in
California designed to regulate the sale and labelling of ephedra
products had been criticised for being too restrictive, but
amendments to the rules have now been...
The US Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Committee on the Framework for
Evaluating the Safety of Dietary Supplements has released its first
draft prototype monograph.
Rice grains with less phytic acid could mean improved nutrition for
the world's malnourished, more nutritious animal feed and less
potential for water pollution from manure, reports the US
Agricultural Research Service (ARS)...
Europeans could pay more for everything from toys to heavy
machinery if Brussels follows through on a threat to impose
sanctions in a long-running trade spat with Washington, a US trade
official said on Friday.
An Australian professor urged consumers to take dietary supplements
with caution today after a study revealed the size of the growing
alternative medicine market in Australia.
The core task of the new European Food Safety Authority, still in
its infancy and as yet without a permanent chief or home, will be
to provide independent scientific advice in Europe on all matters
with a direct or indirect impact...
Britain's biggest dairy products firm Dairy Crest group is poised
to buy St Ivel spreads from Uniq for £50-60 million pounds (€79-95
million), to rival UK market leader Unilever, industry sources said
on Thursday.
Danish ingredients company Danisco announced this week that it has
achieved second place in Dow Jones' new global sustainability index
for food manufacturers, the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.
A new report by the American Obesity Association which claims that
54 per cent of US military personnel are overweight and a further
6.2 per cent are obese has prompted the Ephedra Education Council
there to offer to educate the military...
The California legislature has passed two bills concerning the sale
and labelling of dietary supplements containing ephedra or steroid
hormone precursors
Food ingredient company Nutrinova has won a legal battle against
Zhangjiagang Hope Chemicals for infringement of it's European
patent for the manufacture of the high intensity sweetener
Acesulfame K (AcK).
The US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition has released information on its new system for
tracking adverse event reports on foods, cosmetics and dietary
supplements.
A report by America's Institute of Medicine of the National Academy
of Sciences which claims that there is no known safe intake amount
of trans fatty acids in the diet could lead to new food labelling
guidelines in the US.
An independent committee of experts set up to advise Britain's Food
Standards Agency yesterday issued a consultation document on the
maximum levels of vitamins and minerals that are safe to consume.
The supplement industry said...
In anticipation of final approval by the European Parliament of the
proposed Directive relating to food supplements, the European Union
Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) has issued its first opinions
regarding the tolerable upper...
A US subsidiary of German health ingredients business Degussa
BioActives said it has filed an order for prompt action on a case
it brought earlier this year against sports nutrition company
Muscle Marketing USA.
Japanese health ministry officials are launching a series of
measures to prevent further health scares after the problems caused
by dieting aids imported from China.
Canada's Health Food Association (CHFA) has called the national ban
on the sale of kava products 'completely unacceptable', and urged
the health department to follow the cautionary labelling practice
of the US.
Canada's national health department last week issued a stop-sale
order on all products containing the herb kava after a safety
assessment concluded there is insufficient evidence to support
their safe use.
A medical expert has said that the recent calls to review the
herbal supplement ephedra are "unfounded". Dr Steven Karch claimed
that the health reports logged by Metabolife contain 'insubstantial
information'.
Internet websites promoting 'alternative' cures for cancer can
seriously harm patients who follow their advice, according to an
editorial published in the British Journal of Cancer this
week. And some are in fact dangerous,...
A medical investigation of chronic lead poisoning in a woman, who
gave birth at an Adelaide hospital in Australia, has found it was
caused by imported herbal tablets.
Nutritional supplement maker Metabolife has issued a statement
responding to calls for an investigation into reports of
side-effects caused by its ephedra products.
The US Food and Drug Administration calls for a criminal
investigation into Metabolife over the safety of some of the
company's ephedra-based diet products.
British retailer the Co-op is calling for the UK government to
crack down on products which make misleading health claims. The
company is to launch a new consumer-friendly food label following
research on consumer needs.
Signs that the functional food market is gaining ground were
revealed this week when the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA)
announced it is considering a 'novel food' application by a food
manufacturer to market 'milk and...
The US Food and Drug Administration was put under pressure this
week when a US senator attacked the department for refusing to move
on legislation on the herbal supplement ephedra. Trade bodies still
insist however that the herb can...
The Joint Health Claims Initiative (JHCI), an independent UK
organisation created to assess health claims on food, this week
advised the food industry of the option of making health claims for
the inclusion of soya in food products.
Action against kava kava looks set to result in legislation against
the sale of the herb in Britain, while in Singapore, the product is
classified as a poison.
The European Commission is asking Austria to remove its ban on the
distance selling of food supplements as it opposes legislation of
free trade in the community.
Six popular supplement products will be the focus of an Institute
of Medicine programme designed to help the FDA decide whether
further saftey tests are needed.
The US Food & Drug Administration is reconsidering its advice
about whether or not tuna fish is safe for pregnant women after its
earlier recommendation that a few servings of most fish are safe
was criticised for bowing to pressure...
Consumers for Health Choice, a natural products lobby group with a
number of high profile supporters, claims the Medicines Control
Agency has deliberately misled ministers about the impact of the EU
herbal products directive.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Diabetes UK have issued a
joint statement condemning foods which claim to be suitable for
diabetics as of no real benefit.
The European Commission has established new rules governing the
labelling of caffeine and quinine in drinks and food in a bid to
protect consumers who might be prone to adverse reactions.
The UK's Medicines Control Agency (MCA) is to consider a proposed
ban on the sale of the herbal remedy kava kava following a review
of current scientific data on the product by the Committee on the
Safety of Medicines (CSM).
