The US Federal Trade Commission has begun legal proceedings against
Enforma Natural Products after the company failed to comply with
its May 2000 ruling that it substantiate claims made in relation to
weight loss products.
Health Canada has requested a recall of certain products containing
ephedra or ephedrine following research which showed that they
posed a serious health risk.
A group of Canadian organic farmers launched a lawsuit against
biotech giants Monsanto Co. and Aventis SA on Thursday seeking
compensation for damages caused by genetically modified canola they
say is blowing into their fields.
France's Agency for the Safety of Health Products (AFSSAPS) has
suspended the sale of products and preparations containing kava, a
medicinal plant from the islands in the Southern Pacific known for
its sedative and hypnotic properties.
Nutrition 21, a leading developer and marketer of clinically proven
nutritional products, has been granted a patent by the United
States Patent and Trademark Office for the use of chromium
picolinate in high doses to stabilise blood...
Following recent controversy surrounding the popular herb kava the
American Botanical Council (ABC) is suggesting that consumers
follow additional precautions when using the herb, used for
reducing symptoms of anxiety and stress.
A new bill in the US that could give tax breaks to employees who
purchase dietary supplements and medicinal foods has been referred
to the Committee on Ways and Means in the House of Representatives.
Only a small number of U.S. consumers are aware of activism related
to biotechnology, according to a recent report from the US United
Soybean Board (USB).
The controversy surrounding food irradiation continues this week in
the US with a declaration from the Centre for Food Safety that the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ignored growing
evidence.
The Thai government has hired two US lawyers to represent the
country in a lawsuit aimed at preventing American rice breeder
Chris Deren from patenting a new rice variety developed using
genetic material from Thai jasmine rice.
The Australian Patent Office issued patent #734,183 to Mannatech
Inc. for a glyconutrient blend for use as a nutritional supplement,
the company reports this week.
The U.S. Senate is taking new steps to ensure that vitamins,
minerals, herbs, and specialty supplements, like prescription
drugs, will be covered by health insurance plans.
More than 60 per cent of nutrition bars tested in a recent survey
failed to live up to their label claims, independent researcher
ConsumerLab.com reports this week
Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Ministers meeting on
Wednesday approved stricter labelling for genetically modified
foods and a new food standard setting safe levels of
chloropropanols in soy and oyster sauces.
On October 15, the Superior Court of California threw out lawsuits
brought against the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)
citing that herbal tinctures and extracts sold by its member
companies are "alcoholic beverages".
The Bush administration is "hopeful" that a trade dispute with
China that has disrupted exports of U.S. soybeans will be resolved
soon, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Tuesday.
A bill that would have mandated labelling of all foods in Canada
containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) was defeated in
the Canadian House of Commons.
The European Commission recently added to the EC Health and
Consumer Protection web site opinions and guidelines from the
Scientific Committee on Food (SCF).
The US-based Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology announced
this week that it is to host a debate on issues facing Europe and
the US over genetically modified food.
Fears over genetically modified foods may prevail in the minds of
the European consumer but recent research from the European
Commission suggests that they are as safe as their non-gmo
neighbours, and even safer.
Health Canada advised consumers that the recently released
functional food margarine product, Becel™ Pro-activ™, is not in
compliance with the Canadian Food and Drugs Act and Regulations
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to reopen for 45 days
the comment period for the interim final rule authorising a health
claim on the association between plant sterol/stanol esters and
reduced risk of coronary heart disease...
Swiss healthcare group Novartis AG confirmed on Thursday
allegations from environmental group Greenpeace that some samples
of baby food it sold in the Philippines contained genetically
modified soy.
Environmental group Greenpeace urged the Philippines on Wednesday
to impose mandatory labelling on food products containing
genetically modified organisms.
The European Commission this week gave the go-ahead for
German-based chemical company Degussa AG to acquire sole control of
the British company Laporte PLC.
Organic broiler chickens are three times as likely as
conventionally-bred poultry to be contaminated with a bacterium
that causes food-poisoning, say Danish vets, the New Scientist
reports this week.
According to Victor Manuel Villalobos Arambula, Under Secretary for
Agriculture at the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Food, Mexico's government will promote the production of GM
foodstuff.
Marine-based nutraceuticals company Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd.
(ONC) announced this week that it had achieved GRAS (generally
recognised as safe) status for its omega-3 concentrated 30:20 EE
complex derived from fish oil.
The Ecologist group Greenpeace condemned the granting of a European
patent for a genetic tweak that can make salmon grow eight times
larger than normal.
Consumer and interest groups criticised the Thai Food and Drug
Administration's draft regulations on the labelling of food
products containing genetically modified organisms for benefiting
manufacturers over consumers.
ConAgra Foods Inc., the second-biggest U.S. food company, is to sue
French company, Groupe Danone SA's Dannon to block it from using
the name "Snack Pack" for its yoghurt containers.
