Regulatory
Wellington Foods Now GMP-Certified
September 17th 2010Dietary supplement manufacturer Wellington Foods Inc. (Long Beach, CA) is pleased to announce that it has received Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification from the Natural Products Association (NPA; Washington, DC). In the independent, third-party audit, NPA gave the company an 'A' compliance rating in its certification for the dietary supplement industry. The company formulates, manufactures, and packages dietary supplements in both liquid and power forms. For more information on the company, click here.
NIH-Funded Workshop to be Held on Analytical Testing Methods for Dietary Supplements
September 17th 2010To assist the dietary supplement industry with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) procedures, Blaze Science Industries (Lawndale, CA) and Tampa Bay Analytical Research Laboratories (Largo, FL) will be offering a one-day workshop in July in St. Pete Beach, Florida, according to Verdure Sciences (Noblesville, IN), a sponsor of the event.
EFSA Publishes Negative Opinion on Beta-Glucans; Science Was "Inappropriate"
September 17th 2010The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA; Parma, Italy) published its negative opinion on a health-claims application for beta-glucans on May 26. But the details of Leiber GmbH...s (Bramsche, Germany) Article 13.5 application may be of greater concern.
New Dietary Guidelines Generate Mixed Opinions
September 17th 2010The USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion released a draft report for its 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, last week'”a report that will ultimately form the basis for 2010...s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Within the report...s language, dietary supplements receive mixed approval.
Supreme Court Gives Ruling on Genetically Modified Alfalfa, Congress Responds
September 17th 2010In the case of Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms'”the first-ever Supreme Court case to be held on genetically modified (GM) crops'”the Supreme Court has ruled 7 to 1 in favor of lifting an injunction (established previously by a lower court) on planting GM alfalfa. Furthermore, planting and selling of said alfalfa is still prohibited until an environmental review is conducted and considered.
UAS Labs Probiotics Now Kosher-Certified
September 17th 2010UAS Laboratories (Eden Prairie, MN) has announced that its DDS brand probiotics are now kosher-certified by OK Kosher (Brooklyn, NY). The company...s DDS line of probiotics, including DDS Acidophilus and DDS Junior, is available in 37 countries around the world. OK Kosher currently certifies over 300,000 products from over 1500 companies.
Update from EFSA June Stakeholder Meeting
September 17th 2010Ever since the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA; Parma, Italy) published its second batch of general health claims in February, much of the industry had been waiting for last week...s stakeholders meeting, where EFSA intended to clarify its procedures and offer advice on claims substantiation.
Nestlé Subsidiary to Settle FTC False Advertising Charges
September 16th 2010A subsidiary of Nestlé S.A., the world...s largest food and nutrition company, has agreed to drop allegedly deceptive advertising claims about the health benefits of its children...s drink BOOST Kid Essentials, as part of a settlement resolving the Federal Trade Commission...s first case challenging advertising for probiotics.
Cyvex Grape Extracts Now GRAS-Approved
September 16th 2010Cyvex Nutrition (Irvine, CA) has received Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for its BioVin(R) full spectrum grape extract and BioVin(R) 20 grape skin extract, according to a company announcement made yesterday. The successful GRAS status qualifies the extracts for safe used in a wide-range of functional foods and beverages. The process involved an intensive review of safety and toxicology data by an independent panel of qualified experts.
Global Regulations: Let the States Decide
September 9th 2010Up until July 13, the case for cultivating genetically modified organisms (GMOs) within the European Union (EU) was deadlocked: some member states support the practice (e.g., Spain and Britain), while others (e.g., Austria and France) have made moves against it.
Global Regulations: Direct Translation
September 9th 2010With current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) for dietary supplements now fully in place, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to conduct cGMP inspections of facilities of all sizes. As FDA inspectors hit the ground, so, too, are inspectors from NSF International (NSF; Ann Arbor, MI).
Congress Considers Nutrition Makeover
September 7th 2010Per usual, priorities in Washington are too numerous to count. But major legislation affecting the dietary supplement, food, and beverage industries has been waiting its turn. Here are some of the could-be laws awaiting votes in the Capitol. (As of July 2010)
New Bill Urges Tighter Cosmetics Oversight
September 1st 2010A bill to levy tougher regulations on the U.S. cosmetics industry was introduced to Congress in late July. The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 (H.R. 5786) calls for a list of ingredients prohibited from use in cosmetics, new recall authority for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), randomized postmarket cosmetics testing, and new registration fees for companies, among other measures, according to Representative Jan Schakowski (D-IL), who introduced the bill together with Ed Markey (D-MA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
EFSA Schedules Consultation on Gut Health and Immune Function Health Claims
August 12th 2010As part of the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA; Parma, Italy) ongoing series of public consultations on health claims guidance, the agency has announced that it will hold a meeting on scientific requirements for gut health and immune function health claims on December 2, 2010, in Amsterdam.
Pureflex Chondroitin Now GRAS Approved
August 5th 2010TSI Health Sciences’ (Missoula, MT) Pureflex chondroitin sulfate sodium line has obtained self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for use in food and beverages. The company has also obtained self-affirmed GRAS status for its Pureflex glucosamine line. The GRAS affirmation for chondroitin was conducted by a panel of independent experts, which deemed the Pureflex products, derived from bovine, avian, marine, and porcine sources, safe when added to conventional foods and beverages.