Botanicals manufacturer Bio-Health is proving smaller companies can
cut it in the thrust and tumble of life under the Traditional
Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD), by having a valerian
product registered in the UK.
Scientists at EFSA have assessed the safety of aluminium in food and established a Tolerable Weekly Intake (TWI) of one milligram of aluminium per kilogram of body weight.
The UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) is to hold a second
consultation on an application to approve National Starch Food
Innovation's phosphated distarch phosphate as a novel food
ingredient.
The €400m European cholesterol-lowering, plant sterol market has a
new entrant after a non-GMO, soy-derived sterol ingredient was
yesterday approved for use within the European Union.
Thirty-five new international food standards were adopted during
last week's 31st session of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission, including guidelines on the use of flavourings and
gluten-free products.
A beta-glucan health cholesterol-lowering health claim has been
approved in France, making it only the second disease reduction
claim permitted in a country notorious for conservative food laws.
The use of rising eye health phytonutrient, zeaxanthin, in food
supplements in doses of up to 20mg has been rejected by the
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Natural ingredients are undefined in almost all global
jurisdictions and no resolution is in sight for a category gaining
attention as consumers turn away from the synthetic production of
foods and beverages and the ingredients used...
The European Commission has culled its gargantuan nutrition
and health claims list from more than 40,000 to 1500 as the
health claims process moves closer to fruition in January, 2010.
A European Commission proposal for a Mutual Recognition Regulation
will ease trade barriers across the bloc for food supplements
makers, according to a European Commission official.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said rosemary extract is
safe for use as an antioxidant in food, expanding application
opportunities and increasing its natural appeal.
A seminar attended by key government and industry figures in Singapore has highlighted claim issues in south east Asia and given insights into managing the legislative change occurring in the region.
Botanicals manufacturer Bioforce will be able to make mood-lifting
and anxiety-combating claims for a St John's wort product that will
be re-launched later in the year, after winning a Traditional
Herbal Medicinal Products Directive...
The UK National Health Service (NHS) has published guidelines
advising doctors not to recommend omega-3 food supplements and
plant stanol and sterol functional foods to patients who are at
high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Efforts to reduce acrylamide remain a priority as the European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA) concludes risk assessments regarding the
carcinogen will stay the same.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has won approval for use in foods
and beverages within the European Union from the Food Safety
Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
Robinson Pharma marketing vice president, Kenn Israel, discusses the recent GlaxoSmithKline petition for weight loss claims be treated as disease claims, and the potential impact of this on the dietary supplement market.
The Belgian Medicines Agency (AFMPS) has published further detail
of draft amendments to a Royal Decree that may switch the
classification of 250 herbal products from food and food supplement
ingredients to medicines.
China has introduced new guidelines for nutrition labelling on
packaged foods which, although not mandatory, will standardise
presentation of information on products that already state nutrient
levels.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rejected dossiers
backing 120 nutrient sources for ongoing use within the European
Union because they were deemed "not to be adequate".
Pan-European consultation on reforming European Union Novel Foods
regulations should remove the controversial substantial equivalence
clause, according to an Irish Food Safety
Authority (FSAI) representative.
"Subtle language differences" may confound regulators in
the midst of translating thousands of health claims ahead of a
pan-European 2010 approval deadline, according to various industry
sources.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published new
labelling guidance for food manufacturers, which it hopes will help
international companies meet the nation's labeling requirements.
Food supplements manufacturers may have to reformulate thousands of
products aimed at both children and adults if calls for bans on the
use of certain artificial colours become reality.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a detailed 81-page
document advising companies on how to negotiate the various
European Commission processes involved in health claims submission,
approval and application.
A pan-European industry group has criticised the European
Commission for issuing guidance that it will reject scientific
health claim dossiers that do not contain clinical data.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) expects to process
applications for 1000-2000 health claims, 900 food additives and
2800 flavours in the next 12 months, according to EFSA executive
director, Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle.
A composition and matter patent granted to Canadian supplier
Neptune Technologies & Bioresources for its omega-3 and
antioxidants boosted krill-based ingredients last year has been
validated by the European Patent Office.
Bakers in New Zealand will now by law have to fortify
bread products with iodine, as regulators in the country attempt to
boost consumption of the essential nutrient.
Poland has established a government-backed group briefed with
developing criteria relating to the classification of a range of
nutrients under either food or medicine law.
The European Food Safety Authority has given the thumbs up to the
use of mixed tocopherols and tocotrienol tocopherol as vitamin E
sources in food supplements.
The European Commission is proposing to test all guar gum from
India for presence of the contaminant PCP as an interim measure to
ensure ongoing supply of the thickening agent prior to the Indian
authorities implementing tighter controls.
Industry groups have criticised a European Food Safety Authority
(EFSA) working group over the "medicinal approach" being favoured
for regulating botanical supplements.
Food supplements should be exempt from European nutrient profiling
regulations because their fat, salt and sugar levels are scant
enough not to warrant concern, according to an industry group.
More accurate intake data is required for a number of flavouring
substances, says the European Food Safety Authority, as the
standard model for estimating consumption levels was found to be
inconsistent with information provided by...
A $20m Californian mushroom supplements specialist could face legal
action for falsely stating it had received European approval for a
number of health claims.
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has instructed omega
oil brand Equazen to withdraw a number of advertising claims
linking its Eye Q supplement to healthy brain development.
Owen Warnock, partner and food law expert at international law firm
Eversheds, unpicks the new EU labelling proposal and assesses what
it may mean for food manufacturers.
The UK government unveiled the first steps it will take in its
national strategy to fight obesity, earmarking £372m for the cause.
Steps include addressing food issues, as well as increasing
education and encouraging physical activity.
A new law in Turkey could help make it easier for food supplement
companies to break into the emerging market, which has already seen
phenomenal growth in the last decade.
An advert which claimed garlic supplements have a plethora of
benefits including inhibiting cancer cell growth has been removed
following an Advertising Standards' Agency (ASA) probe.
A draft document on how to assess the safety of botanicals for use
in food and food supplements has been released by the European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA).
Campaigners at Baby Milk Action have threatened a judicial review
over a ruling that a television advert on SMA formula was not
misleading and did not discourage mothers from breastfeeding.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) agreed at last week's
management board meeting that next year's budget, set by the
European Union, is sufficient to align to the growing legislative
demands without losing focus...