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In response to rising concern about childhood obesity in the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC; Washington, DC), in partnership with other government agencies, has published new nutrition standards for how food should be marketed to children. The standards, published last week, were developed by the Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children (Working Group), a group made up of representatives from FTC, FDA, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Symrise (Holzminden, Germany) has acquired Futura Labs Group, a flavor and fragrances manufacturer headquartered in Cairo. Through the acquisition, Symrise will expand its presence in several key markets in Egypt. The company says that Futura Labs... product portfolio and client list nicely complement Symrise...s operations in Egypt, and that together, the companies will be a market leader in flavor and fragrances in Egypt.

Sensient Flavors and Fragrances Group (Indianapolis) has developed a new marketing platform for its botanical ingredients, called Sensient Natural Origins.

Seltzer Companies Inc. (Carlsbad, CA), which includes Seltzer Nutritional Technologies and Seltzer Ingredients, has officially taken on the name of its parent company, Glanbia Nutritionals Inc. The company...s products will now operate under the Glanbia Nutritionals Customized Solutions brand. Glanbia acquired Seltzer in 2006.

Piveg Inc. (Celaya, Mexico) has trademarked its I-Z zeaxanthin. The company has produced zeaxanthin isomer from marigolds for nutritional eye health applications since 1999. 'Newer participants in the carotenoid and zeaxanthin field are confusing customers with claims and product nomenclatures that have in fact been available in the industry for years,' says company CEO Roberto Espinoza.

Atrium Innovations (Quebec City, QC, Canada), owner of nutrition brands such as Garden of Life and Douglas Laboratories, has joined the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, DC). In addition to complying with federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control, and safety, CRN member companies adhere to additional voluntary guidelines, as well as CRN...s code of ethics.

Participating in the Ingredients Russia trade show for the first time last year, Fortitech Europe ApS (Gadstrup, Denmark) is making its entry into the Russian market, the company reported. The premix supplier has aligned itself with KUK, a distributor in Russia and Eastern Europe, to develop projects with food and beverage manufacturers in those regions. 'The consumer demand for fortified foods and beverages in Russia, as well as the rest of Eastern Europe, is exploding,' says Martin Austin, managing director and general manager of Fortitech Europe ApS.

Danisco (New Century, KS) now offers a Web site designed to help food manufacturers find climate-friendly sourcing and manufacturing opportunities among its product offerings. The site addresses five types of sustainable options: those that reduce energy, water, or raw-material consumption; and those the enable material substitution and waste reduction. 'We can show manufacturers how to make direct savings in resource consumption using our ingredients,' says Jesper Kampp, group manager.  

Contract and private-label manufacturer Fusion Formulations (Phoenix) says that last year it started its sustainability program. The program involves reducing manufacturing waste in all forms'”a move that the company says will also result in cost-savings for its partners.

Norwegian-based krill-oil supplier Aker BioMarine has signed a long-term agreement to provide its Superba krill oil to Valensa International (Eustis, FL) for joint health and eye health products. The companies will also jointly perform clinical studies on Superba as an ingredient in Valensa...s formulations, which will also include Valensa...s own proprietary ingredients, including Zanthin natural astaxanthin.

Novus International (St. Louis) has created its human-nutrition division, called Stratum Nutrition. The division will focus on developing specialty and functional ingredients for foods, beverages, and dietary supplements in North America and Europe. Previously, Novus was primarily known for its work in animal agriculture health and nutrition.

Alpha Packaging (St. Louis) was honored by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry as one of the state...s fastest-growing companies. The nomination-based awards are presented annually and given to companies with the highest rate of growth over a four-year span.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has sent letters to a selection of dietary supplement marketers, requesting evidence to support their products\' \"grandfathered ingredient\" status. The letters target herbs such as chamomile flower tincture, echinacea root 4:1 powdered extract, and oils of peppermint leaf, ginger root, and fennel seed, according to the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA).In communication to its members, AHPA said that the letters\' recipients were instructed to provide one of the following:

A review of a selection of published ingredient studies has concluded that many bioavailability ingredient claims are often weakened by a large variance between the amounts of active ingredients subjects absorbed. The review, published in the January issue of Natural Medicine Journal, looked at studies done on CoQ10 and carotenoids.

By 2015, global yogurt consumption will reach 20.6 million tons, equaling $67 billion in sales, predicts market researcher Global Industry Analysts Inc. (GIA). Currently, yogurt sales are largely driven abroad, says GIA, with Europe and Asia-Pacific accounting for 80% of the global market. 'Asia presents a huge opportunity due to the rising incidence of lifestyle-related health concerns, such as diabetes and obesity, brought on by rapid economic development and rising income levels,' states GIA.

Mars Inc. (McLean, VA) and Barry Callebaut AG (Zurich, Switzerland), a producer of cocoa and chocolate products, have partnered to promote flavanol-rich chocolate products with guaranteed flavanol levels. The companies will cross-license their products to promote flavanol-rich chocolate products on a worldwide scale. This month, Barry Callebaut began displaying Mars...s Cocoapro 'bean in hand' logo (indicating a proprietary method of processing cocoa that preserves flavanol content) on its flavanol-rich Acticoa chocolate products.

The nonprofit American Botanical Council (ABC; Austin, TX) has published a monograph summarizing a selection of scientific and clinical studies on Pycnogenol, a patented dietary ingredient from French maritime pine bark. The monograph reviews 17 human clinical studies, which evaluate Pycnogenol for potential health benefits such as cardiovascular health and the ability to reduce difficulties associated with chronic venous insufficiency and problems related to thrombosis, the formation or presence of blood clots in blood vessels.

After only 12 months on the market, sales of stevia-based Truvia have surpassed those of Equal sweetener in some U.S. markets, Cargill (Wayata, MN) reports. According to Nielsen, Truvia is outperforming Equal in more than 10 U.S. sugar-substitutes markets: Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Boise, Denver, Portland, San Francisco, Miami, San Diego, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Atlanta. Overall, Truvia now holds a 7.9% dollar market share of U.S. sugar-substitute sales, reports Nielsen.

Dr. Harry Demopoulos, MD, former associate professor of pathology at the New York University School of Medicine will be at Expo West to discuss how Setria brand glutathione has been proven to be absorbed orally in animal and human clinical dosing studies. The event is sponsored by Kyowa Hakko USA (New York City). Glutathione is a tri-peptide made up of glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine. It is believed to increase the effectiveness of antioxidants like vitamin C and E, and help protect the body from free radicals and other harmful compounds.

A day prior to the start of Expo West in Anaheim, BI Nutraceuticals will be offering tours of its 150,000 square foot manufacturing facility in nearby Long Beach. The tour will include education about the company...s technologies in botanical ingredient certification, quality assurance, dry steam sterilization, and processing. Morning and afternoon tours will be available with a shuttle service provided at the Expo West lobby at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively.

Making clear its intent to correct food labeling violations, FDA issued warning letters to 17 food manufacturers last week regarding 22 products said to be making unauthorized health claims. The involved companies, including Gerber (Fremont, MI), Beech-Nut (Florida, NY), and Nestle (Vevey, Switzerland), will have 15 days to inform FDA of how they will correct their labels. On the same day, Commissioner of food and drugs Margaret Hamburg, MD, addressed the industry in an open letter, stating her commitment to improving food labeling practices.

FDA is fired up about food safety. Companies should ensure their products can stand the heat. 'Ensuring the safety of FDA-regulated products is a shared responsibility"and the FDA is ready to do its share.' Margaret Hamburg made this pledge last August in one of her first speeches as the new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner. If the first several months of 2010 are any indication, FDA has not relaxed on its promise to make food safety a priority.

Those who knowingly distribute any tainted food product could soon face criminal charges in the state of Georgia. In a 142-20 vote today, the Georgia House passed a food-safety bill that, in addition to levying a $20,000 fine, would make distributing tainted food a crime. Those who broke the law would face up to 20 years in prison. The move to tighten food safety was spurred by the 2008 nationwide salmonella outbreak that stemmed from Peanut Corp....s of America...s processing plant in Blakely, GA.

With talk of taxing sugary foods such as sodas at a high, a study published in the March 8 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine indicates that a price hike, such as a tax, on unhealthy foods may cause may cause adults to consumer fewer of those foods. From 1986 to 2006, the study assessed the dietary habits of 5,115 young adults ages 18 to 30. Over the 20-year period, researchers found that a 10% price increase was associated with a 7% decrease in the amount of calories consumed from soda and a 12% decrease in calories consumed from pizza.

By Justin J. Prochnow, Greenberg Traurig LLP FDA published a new Draft Guidance, entitled 'Factors that Distinguish Liquid Dietary Supplements from Beverages, Considerations Regarding Novel Ingredients, and Labeling for Beverages and Other Conventional Foods,' on December 3.

Decas Botanical Synergies LLC (Carver, MA) has obtained Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) approval for a health claim of supporting urinary health for PACran, its cranberry powder. PACran is a clinically supported and proanthocyanidin-standardized cranberry powder. The supplier says that the approval is the first from KFDA for a health food product for urinary health.

Morre-Tec Industries and its Extract & Ingredients Ltd. division have received ISO 9001:2008 certification. The company is a manufacturer and distributor of bromine intermediates, personal care and nutritional ingredients, and natural extracts. 'With ISO 9001:2008, CGMP compliance, and a HACCP [Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points] plan, we anticipate additional growth,' says president Len Glass.

Nutritional product manufacturer Natrol has been certified by the Natural Products Association...s CGMP program. Natrol...s line includes brands such as MRI, Prolab, Promensil, and Trinovin.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) held a press conference last week introducing the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010. The proposed legislation, which has been cosponsored by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), making a host of changes to operations of dietary supplement industry.

Newly proposed legislation would require FDA to step up research on nanotechnology. The Nanotechnology Safety Act of 2010 would give FDA $25 million between 2011 through 2015 to assess the health and safety implications of nanotechnology in 'everyday products,' and develop best practices for companies using nanotechnology.