A spate of recent reports have accused a top member of Scotland’s food standards agency of bias after revealing her financial ties to a major chocolate firm - is the junk food industry meddling with objective scientific research?
Adulteration in the sports nutrition industry remains a global issue, says John Travis of NSF International ahead of his talk on adulteration and innovation in sports nutrition at Vitafoods.
Regulation for sports nutrition has had a long and winding road over the last decade but there are still issues that need addressing, says European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) vice-chair Stuart Shotton ahead of his talk at Vitafoods 2017...
Injections of vitamin K for breast-fed infants could help prevent complications that are currently associated with oral dosing, say new Dutch guidelines.
Chocolate spreads and jams contain huge amounts of sugar, with two slices of bread containing the entire maximum daily intake - but some experts have questioned whether the quantities eaten are large enough to contribute to obesity
The aims of health claims are to encourage fair competition, prevent the public from being mislead and to promote innovation, but more and more companies are being put off by the application process. What needs to change?
Health claim applications to the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) are too lengthy and too expensive, experts from the EU-backed Rediclaim said during its recent online conference.
European calculation guidelines on nutrient content in foods need finessing through training and improved software, so they can be rolled out and accepted by stakeholders, says a new paper.
The European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) says there is an “urgent need for proper legislation” in a position paper asking for Europe to recognise cannabidiol (CBD) and hemp as safe ingredients in food and cosmetics – not just medicines.
Oslo’s government has announced plans to reduce its ambitious organic targets, sparking a backlash from the country's lead organic trade group who advise their government to 'Look to Sweden'.
High levels of iodine deficiency in school-age children and expectant mothers is posing a risk to health in Israel, warns the first national survey conducted in the country.
EU member states yesterday voted against the introduction and renewal of GM grains in Europe but failed to reach a binding majority, leaving the president of the Commission Jean-Claude Juncker to make the final decision.
Forget Brexit, the current state of the global economy or rising raw material costs. EU regulation is a bigger challenge for European nutrition companies than them all, new data suggests.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will publish a scientific opinion on how much sugar can be included in a healthy diet by 2020, it has confirmed.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has praised France for officially backing a voluntary, front-of-pack nutrition logo that “clearly stood out as the most consumer-friendly scheme”.
In an effort to reduce misleading uses of health claims on advertising for nutritional products, the Italian government has published a decree detailing financial penalties.
China’s Commerce Ministry appears to have halted plans for more stringent cross border e-commerce rules, meaning many goods will still be regarded as personal trade, rather than for commercial distribution.
Complementary medicine firms in Australia have just one week more to respond to a raft of proposed regulatory changes being considered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has downgraded Scottish haddock in response to shortages in the North Sea, prompting fury from fisheries who say the MCS’ actions are unscientific and amount to vandalism.
Vitamins manufacturer Blackmores was fined AUS$65,000 (US$50,000), and publicly named and shamed by authorities in China for breaching strict advertising laws.
Countries across Europe and Central Asia are going through nutrition transitions, with malnutrition issues changing to the ‘triple burden and general overnutrition, according to a new FAO report.
Mainstreaming biofortification into plant breeding programs, integrating it into policies, programs and investments, and building consumer demand are needed to benefit one billion people by 2030.
A product listing for L-Glutamine has been banned by the UK Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) after the agency ruled it included a non-authorised health claim.
Authorities have not paid enough attention to the issue of supplement contamination, failing to sufficiently investigate this issue, according to Luca Bucchini.
Thanks to drink manufacturers reformulating sugar out of their products, the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) now predicts significantly less revenue from the sugar tax - but does this really signal a change in the public diet?
Food products sold under the same label continually show inconsistent standards of quality, particularly in Eastern Europe, prompting calls for a new regulatory body in the EU.
The EU Commission has released the revised regulations for the marketing of medical devices, simplifying the confusing between food and medical device, after outlining the changes - including post-market surveillance and increased traceability - back...
French firm LNC has failed in its bid to gain an approved health claim for its medical weight loss drink Stablor, with EFSA critiquing one human clinical trial, and rejecting LNC’s other evidence.
Stevia maker PureCircle today (Tuesday) said it would “leave all the options open” as to whether it would seek compensation after it was “cleared” following a dispute with the US authorities over whether stevia imported from China was produced by forced...
Health campaigners in Ireland have increased pressure on the government to introduce new laws to restrict “relentless” junk food advertising targeted at children.
Public officials and researchers will debate today at the European Parliament in Brussels, following a damning report on the damage and cost of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Europe, of which poor diet remains the main culprit.
Industry, trade associations, legislators and law enforcement all need to play a bigger role in cleaning up the botanical and herbal supplements industry – and it needs to start now, with joined up thinking, more inclusive certifications and harsher penalties.
Europeans are consuming dozens of pesticides on a daily basis, say the Pesticide Action Network (PAN), which today marked 12 years of "inaction and failure" in the EU’s attempts to reduce pesticide levels in food.
Belgium releases its third update to BELFRIT (Belgium, France, Italy) list of approved botanicals, as a list of more than 2, 000 health claims are still waiting to be approved by the European Commission.
Medical products looking to transition to the food supplements space could benefit from exemptions to health claims regulations until 2022, after a court ruling allowed current rules to be extended.
Supplementation for over 55s offers significant healthcare savings
Fortification or supplementation programmes to increase levels of calcium and vitamin D could prevent almost 200,000 fractures per year in Europe – saving €3.96 billion in avoidable healthcare costs.
The number of food insecure people in Yemen has grown by 3m in seven months, with an estimated 17.1m people now struggling to feed themselves, according to a joint assessment by three UN agencies.
Experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) have criticised the UK's Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health for its decision to continue accepting funding from breast milk substitute (BMS) manufacturers and setting an “unfortunate precedent...
Nutrition labels do not seem to be adapted to battling public health issues such as obesity, the French food safety agency ANSES has concluded – but this is because they should not be used alone, say campaigners.
FDA’s draft guidance on dietary fiber should be significantly amended or tossed out altogether, according to industry trade groups. But at least one company that has been affected by the process believes it adds value to the marketplace.
While milk has been known as an ‘excellent source of proteins, calcium and vitamin D’ and therefore ‘good for your muscles and bones’ for many years, other attributes of milk for health enhancing activity have not been given the same focus.
The Dutch Food Safety Authority (NVWA) has again warned consumers against using some brands of slimming products that have been found to contain potentially unsafe ingredients.
EU health claim specialists say EFSA guidance issued last week clarifies application procedures but changes nothing of the infamous pharma-style scientific requirements that have denied 1000s of claims across the EU bloc of 28 nations.
