Regulatory

USDA and FDA will lose $235 million in related funding.

The Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus will remain a voice for dietary supplements on Capitol Hill.

The company has earned SWF 2000 Code Level III certification from NSF International.

The program certifies that a supplier’s food safety and quality-management systems comply with international and domestic food-safety regulations.

Manufacturers of phytosterol products now have 12 months to reformulate products and labels for heart health claims.

Algatechnologies announced that its natural AstaPure brand has received GRAS status from FDA for use in food and beverages.

Following an announcement by NSF International (Ann Arbor, MI) and NaTrue (Brussels, Belgium) that the companies plan to develop a new certification program for natural personal care products, the Natural Products Association has spoken out against the initiative.

The Natural Products Foundation is helping to clean up industry of illegal marketing claims by conducting its own voluntary product reviews.

The agency's expert panel supports the claim that thiamin "contributes to the maintenance of normal neurological development and function.”

Chitin-glucan fiber ingredient Artinia, targeting cardiovascular support, has been self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS).

"Tested Green" was doling out environmental certifications without conducting any testing.

The BioPreferred program lets companies label the amount of renewable resources used in product packaging.

While a wealth of scientific evidence demonstrates the beneficial role of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for general wellness and multiple health conditions, the strongest evidence by far is in the area of cardiovascular health.

Editor’s Note: On December 2, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA; Parma, Italy) held a meeting in Amsterdam with the intention of clarifying its process of reviewing Article 13 and Article 14 health claims, specifically those concerning gut and immune health. The probiotics community was well represented at the meeting, which was led by members of EFSA’s Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA) panel. Below are reflections from the meeting from representatives of probiotics specialist Danisco A/S (Denmark).

It is a difficult time to be operating in the European functional foods space. Ingredient suppliers in particular have endured months of nervous anticipation as they wait for European Food Safety Authority (EFSA; Parma, Italy) opinions on health claims being assessed under the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (EU Regulation EC/1924/2006).

A beverage cannot be "nutritious" if it has 23 grams of sugar, says the U.K. Advertising Standards Agency.

Claiming that FDA is currently hampered in evaluating “potentially false or misleading structure/function claims,” the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended in a new report that the agency be given the power to request evidence of substantiation from companies.

The rule could change the procedure for "self-affirmed" Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status.

The Natural Products Association (NPA; Washington, DC) has opened online registration for its 14th annual Natural Products Day on April 6 in Washington, DC.

Approximately 60% of global soft-drink launches in 2010 carried some type of health positioning, according to the latest report from Innova Market Insights.

If FDA begins requiring Investigational New Drug (IND) applications as a prerequisite for performing dietary supplement studies on humans, it could stifle research.

Should drug and supplement companies be required to alert investors whenever any adverse-event report (AERs) over a product arises-in case an AER is predictive of a larger problem with the product that could devalue shareholder stocks?

BioAstin, the natural astaxanthin ingredient from Cyanotech Corp. (Kailua-Kona, HI), has been self-affirmed generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use in food, beverages, and supplements, at a dose of 1.5 mg/serving.

Ingredient supplier Beneo shared a few predictions for the functional ingredient market for 2011.

Scientists in the digestive- and immune-health sector have initiated a new petition, protesting what they say is an “illogical” process of approving health claims in the European Union.

The company has received certification ensuring its supplements are manufactured according to FDA’s GMP standards.

Just when it looked like the Food Safety Modernization Act was ready to become law, a lead candidate to head the subcommittee in charge of FDA’s budget is now sounding off on the bill.

Could FDA make a move to ban synthetic food dyes? According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, the agency has scheduled a March hearing to discuss whether these dyes may be risky to the health of young children.

The agency sent a letter of intent to key stakeholders.

2012 nutrition labels will require facts like total calories and total fat content.