All News

In response to Senator John McCain's (R-Arizona) introduction of S. 3002, the Dietary Supplement Safety Act, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) held a nationwide conference call today for representatives of dietary supplement companies. Hatch echoed concerns that the bill would create 'additional regulatory burdens' on responsible members of the dietary supplement industry and would curb the current consumer availability and choices of dietary supplements.

Following an audit that deemed the U.S. Department of Agriculture...s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) enforcement of organic products too lax in recent years, USDA...s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has promised to step up policing. AMS, which oversees the organic program, says that it will start increasing spot testing of companies operating under USDA...s certified-organic label, including companies that issue organic certification, to ensure compliance. It will also more strongly police products on store shelves that are labeled as organic.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published its final draft of dietary reference values (DRVs) for carbohydrates, dietary fiber, fats, and water. EFSA came to its final opinions on various nutrients after having met with nutrition experts from European Union member states, following two years of submitted opinions on nutrients. EFSA...s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies, crafted the final opinions which include the following determinations:

On April 5, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that federal marshals had seized contract manufacturer Beehive Botanicals... (Haywood, WI) proprietary line of bee-derived consumer products. FDA said that the products were misbranded as drugs on several websites by claiming to diagnose, cure, and prevent diseases such as asthma, dermatitis, and ulcers.

ESM Technologies (Carthage, MO), a supplier of eggshell and eggshell membrane wellness ingredients, has received Good Manufacturing Practices certification from NSF International.

A new study on aloe vera gel confirms that aloe vera can be used in tooth gel to soothe tooth pain and control mouth bacteria, reports Examiner.com.

For those who suffer from birch pollen allergies, a recent study conducted in Finland may provide new information, according to Danisco Health & Nutrition (Danisco; Copenhagen).

In a review of various natural vitamin E products, ConsumerLab.com (White Plains, NY) found \"virtually all\" of two products to be composed of synthetic vitamin E. The report by ConsumerLab states that natural vitamin E is more expensive than the synthetic option.

Wisdom Natural Brands(Gilbert, AZ) received a 'no questions' letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in which an FDA expert panel of scientists granted Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status to the whole leaf steviol glycosides (with rebaudioside A and stevioside) in the company...s SweetLeaf Sweetener... extract. SweetLeaf Sweetener is Wisdom...s all-natural, zero-calorie, zero-carb and zero-glycemic index stevia sweetener.

This week, HHS (Washington, DC) secretary Kathleen Sebelius and USDA (Washington, DC) secretary Tom Vilsack, announced the launch of a new government website at www.foodsafety.gov, according to the news agency Reuters. This website is a development of the White House...s Food Safety Working Group, which Sebelius and Vilsack are co-chairs of. The site will provide consumers and businesses with up-to-date information regarding food product recalls with the ability to receive information through email and phone alerts.

Fish oil distributor U.S. Omega, Inc. (U.S. Omega; Santa Ana, CA) began operations today with an official press release. The Southern California-based company has launched its premier product, Omega 3 Fish Oil 1000 mg soft gels, which will available in retail stores and for medical practitioners in retail-ready bottles or in bulk.

In response to Tuesday...s Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs hearing, 'Body Building Products and Hidden Steroids: Enforcement Barriers,' the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, DC) released a statement detailing its position on products containing anabolic steroids and sold as dietary supplements.

Grain Processing Corporation (GPC; Muscatine, IA) will showcase brand new products at the upcoming SupplySide West 2009 tradeshow in November. The company will present its TruBran oat fiber in a breakfast cookie. TruBran products offer high fiber sources in a variety of snacks, cereals, baked goods, and other applications.

A recent clinical study of Fast-C, a vitamin C ingredient, has confirmed the ingredient\'s quick absorption and retention rates. The study\'s findings were presented at the American College of Nutrition conference held last week in Orlando, FL.

Biocell Technology (Newport Beach, CA) announced the appointment of Joosang Park, PhD, as vice president of scientific affairs, earlier this week. Park, who has direct research experience at Harvard Medical School and Stanford University, will be responsible for all research and development affairs related to patented and branded nutraceutical ingredients; namely BioCell Collagen II and i-Sabi.

Novel Ingredient Services (West Caldwell, NJ and Los Angeles), a supplier of botanical and nutraceutical raw materials, has announced the hiring of Gisela Roufs and Yolanda Nargiella as west coast account executive and director of quality control, respectively.

The Natural Products Association (NPA; Washington, DC) has announced the hiring of John F. Gay as executive director and CEO, today. "After conducting a thorough search for someone with an outstanding background in advocacy and trade association leadership, John is the ideal person for the job,' said Pat Sardell, president of NPA. 'John has tremendous experience and a widely respected presence on Capitol Hill."

In the face of an economic recession and raids on companies selling tainted supplements, dietary supplement use appears to be steady, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs (Ipsos; Washington, DC) for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, DC).

KGK Synergize Inc. (KGK; London, ON) is proud to announce that its staff will be participating in the 'Climb of the Penguins' charity event in support of The United Way of London & Middlesex, Ontario (United Way of London) on November 5, 2009. The public charity event is a 'climb' of 427 steps to the top of One London Place, the 24-story skyscraper that houses KGK operations.

Next week at SupplySide West, Gencor Nutrients Inc. (Anaheim, CA) will present the results of a new human clinical study recently completed in Australia on male libido and Testofen, Gencor's proprietary extract of fenugreek. Gencor says that the study's results show Testofen to be a safe and effective product for increasing libido in healthy males.

Seltzer Companies Inc. (Seltzer; Carlsbad, CA) announced today that it has changed its name to Glanbia Nutritionals Inc. and will operate under the Glanbia Nutritionals Customized Solutions brand. Seltzer, which includes Seltzer Nutritional Technologies and Seltzer Ingredients, is a subsidiary of Glanbia Nutritionals (Glanbia; Monroe, WI).

Nutraceutical products manufacturer PIVEG Inc. (PIVEG; Celaya, Mexico) launched its I-Z trademark for Zeaxanthin carotenoid products at the SupplySide West trade show in Las Vegas, last week. The company produces carotenoid concentrates for eye health, such as Zeaxanthin and Lutein, along with other products at its facilities in Celaya, Mexico.

Natural Wellness (Deerfield Beach, FL) has announced a voluntary recall of its male sexual enhancement product MasXtreme because it contains 'undeclared amounts' of Aildenafil, according to FDA. Aildenafil has a similar structure to Sildenafil, an FDA-approved drug for erectile dysfunction, which is found in products such as Viagra. FDA warns that Aildenafil could produce the same risk of adverse health effects as Sildenafil. Potential side effects include harmful interactions with nitrates from some prescription drugs and severely-lowered cholesterol levels.

In an effort to better formalize herbal extract standards, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA; Silver Spring, MD) announced new guidance and labeling requirements related to extract ratios (e.g. Hoodia gordonii extract 20:1), last month.

On April 2, Kanec USA Inc. (Davie, FL) issued a voluntary nationwide recall of its dietary supplement called Stud Capsule For Men, after being informed by FDA that laboratory analysis revealed a batch of the product to be adulterated with Sildenafil, an FDA-approved drug used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. The presence of Sildenafil means that the dietary supplement is misbranded and is actually an unapproved new drug, according to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

At a time when many are denouncing sweetened soft drinks as playing a huge role in rising obesity rates in the United States, the Sugar Association says that sugar is not to blame, according to Reuters. The association pointed out that most soft drinks are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and not sugar. 'Sugar is not part of the problem,' told Andrew Briscoe, president and chief executive of the Sugar Association, the Reuters. The association says that HFCS is used almost 15 times more than sugar in beverages.

In association with the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, and the Department of Fisheries Western Australia, Cognis Australia (Tullamarine, Victoria) has announced the opening of a new facility for sustainable production of artemia (brine shrimp). Artemia are a critical food source for fish and prawn aquaculture, and the new project, which has been jointly funded by all three groups, will provide a sustainable source of carotenoid-rich artemia to the aquaculture market, under the trade name Nutremia.

Stating that current levels of sodium in foods are 'too high to be '˜safe...,' the Institute of Medicine today released a report advising that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establish mandatory national standards for sodium content in foods. Currently, FDA does not regulate the level of sodium in foods. IOM says that very little of the sodium currently in foods is naturally occurring, but instead, is added.

Sales of organic products saw steady increases last year, according to findings from the Organic Trade Association...s (OTA; Greenfield, MA) 2010 Organic Industry Survey. OTA...s survey found that sales of U.S. organic products reached $26.6 billion in 2009, a growth of 5.3% from 2008. Of that total, organic food sales accounted for $24.8 billion. The greatest growth in organic food came from fruits and vegetables, which reached $9.5 billion in sales, an 11.4% increase from 2008.

Stevia supplier PureCircle (Oak Brook, IL) has announced a new partnership with Michigan State University...s department of horticulture to engage in research and breeding of the natural sweetener. 'The goal of the research is to accelerate the creation of proprietary varieties of stevia that contain dramatically higher levels of sweetness in the leaf, as well as other improved agricultural properties,' says PureCircle...s press release.