The distribution will be handled by FutureCeuticals’ EU distribution partner vaneeghen. The partnership rested on the approval of FruiteX-B, a branded form of calcium fructoborate, for novel food status in the EU, a regulatory positioning akin to GRAS approval in the United States.
Randy Wexler, vp, general counsel and head of R&D, said the company began the novel foods application process in 2019 with final approval coming a year ago.
"We are thrilled that FruiteX-B achieved novel food status and is now available to companies in the EU looking for safe and effective joint health ingredients," Wexler said.
Vaneeghan exec Erik Bakkers, head of innovation and marketing for the distributor, said the new ingredient offering will headline the company’s booth display at the upcoming Vitafoods Europe trade show which takes place next week in Geneva, Switzerland. The company’s booth is No. I170.
Research on joint pain
FutureCeuticals has conducted research to validate FruiteX-B’s ability to relieve joint discomfort via a study published in 2014 and done with middle aged, healthy subjects. Participants were evaluated at the beginning of the study and again at 7 and 14 days using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) and McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ). Estimated treatment differences for the MPQ score were -5.8 and -8.9 at Day 7 and 14, respectively. Estimated differences for the WOMAC score were -5.3 and -13.73 at Day 7 and 14, respectively, with negative values indicate greater reductions in reported discomfort.
FutureCeuticals, founded in 1999 and once known as VDF Futureceuticals, is based in the northern Illinois town of Momence. It features a wide range of products including branded ingredients such as FruiteX-B, CognatiQ (formerly known as NeuroFactor, a coffee fruit extract), and VitaCherry, a tart cherry extract standardized to a high level of anthocyanins.
Vaneeghan, also a family owned firm, has a much longer history. It began as a mercantile firm in the Netherlands in 1662 after the founder, a Hugenot, fled religious persecution in what is today Belgium. Over the centuries the family firm participated in many business activities including finance and land speculation. The food ingredients side of the company came to the fore after WWII and the functional ingredients division was launched in 1991.