British retailer the Co-op is calling for the UK government to
crack down on products which make misleading health claims. The
company is to launch a new consumer-friendly food label following
research on consumer needs.
Signs that the functional food market is gaining ground were
revealed this week when the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA)
announced it is considering a 'novel food' application by a food
manufacturer to market 'milk and...
The US Food and Drug Administration was put under pressure this
week when a US senator attacked the department for refusing to move
on legislation on the herbal supplement ephedra. Trade bodies still
insist however that the herb can...
The Joint Health Claims Initiative (JHCI), an independent UK
organisation created to assess health claims on food, this week
advised the food industry of the option of making health claims for
the inclusion of soya in food products.
Action against kava kava looks set to result in legislation against
the sale of the herb in Britain, while in Singapore, the product is
classified as a poison.
The European Commission is asking Austria to remove its ban on the
distance selling of food supplements as it opposes legislation of
free trade in the community.
Six popular supplement products will be the focus of an Institute
of Medicine programme designed to help the FDA decide whether
further saftey tests are needed.
The US Food & Drug Administration is reconsidering its advice
about whether or not tuna fish is safe for pregnant women after its
earlier recommendation that a few servings of most fish are safe
was criticised for bowing to pressure...
Consumers for Health Choice, a natural products lobby group with a
number of high profile supporters, claims the Medicines Control
Agency has deliberately misled ministers about the impact of the EU
herbal products directive.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Diabetes UK have issued a
joint statement condemning foods which claim to be suitable for
diabetics as of no real benefit.
The European Commission has established new rules governing the
labelling of caffeine and quinine in drinks and food in a bid to
protect consumers who might be prone to adverse reactions.
The UK's Medicines Control Agency (MCA) is to consider a proposed
ban on the sale of the herbal remedy kava kava following a review
of current scientific data on the product by the Committee on the
Safety of Medicines (CSM).
The Food and Nutrition Board of the US Institute of Medicine is
currently in the process of assessing the benefits and risks of
electrolytes in water and sports drinks in a bid to set out
recommended intake levels of the increasingly...
German fine chemicals group Degussa has been fined €118 million by
the European Commission after it was found guilty of taking part in
a price fixing cartel relating to amino acids used in animal
fodder. Degussa said it would contest...
The Australia New Zealand Food Authority has called for public
comment on proposed changes to the rules governing dietary
supplements, which cannot currently be made in Australia.
BotanicLab, already facing censure over its PC-SPES supplements,
sees seven more herbal products withdrawn from sale in Canada for
containing undeclared drugs.
A hearing by a US Senate Subcommittee on the illegal use of
steroids is told that the Council for Responsible Nutrition is
drawing up guidelines to warn young athletes of the potential risks
involved in taking legally-produced supplements...
Germany has become the latest European country to ban sales of the
popular herbal remedy kava kava amid fears that large doses of the
product can lead to liver failure or even death. The move is likely
to increase the pressure on...
Chemical giant BASF Corporation is to pay more than $17 million to
Farmland Industries, the bankrupt US farmer-owned co-operative, to
settle a vitamin price-fixing lawsuit, according to court papers.
An alleged attempt by US-based dietary supplement manufacturer
Metabolife to prevent scientific experts giving evidence against
its weight loss products has been dismissed by a US judge,
according to lawyers acting for the plaintiffs.
The European Commission has introduced new regulations governing
the marketing and labelling of olive oil and products containing
olive oil in a bid to protect consumers from misleading claims.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has responded to a
request from the US Congress and drawn up a detailed analysis of
the likely cost of implementing the Dietary Supplement Strategy
10-Year Plan, drawn up in January 2000 to...
A range of dietary supplements sold in the UK have been irradiated
in breach of food regulations, found a survey by the UK Food
Standards Agency. As a consequence companies with affected products
have been told to remove them from...
The folic acid debate continues with an editorial published in this
week's British Medical Journal damning Europe's failure to
introduce mandatory fortification of flour.
President Bush is being put under pressure to find someone to take
on the role of head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
reports the Financial Times.
A British consumer organisation has attacked the EU decision to
regulate the vitamins and dietary supplements industry in a letter
to the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
The chairman of the UK Food Standard's Agency (FSA) responds to
criticism of the agency's decision not to introduce folic acid
fortification in Britain.
The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) in the US said it was
confident that the Court of Appeals would uphold its claim that the
Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA's) attempt to ban nutritious
hemp foods was illegal and...
The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) has warned users
of the infant formula Portagen to stop using the product following
the revelation last week that the product was linked to the death
of a premature infant.
PC SPES, the popular herbal supplement which was withdrawn from
sale earlier this year after it was found to contain traces of
blood thinner wafarin, also contained an oestrogen drug and a
painkiller, according to new research.
Ireland's food safety agency is investigating whether food
supplements containing animal by-products could cause variant
Cruetzfeldt Jakob Disease, the human form of mad cow disease.
As the UK considers whether to fortify flour with folic acid in a
bid to improve the health of the nation, not everyone is convinced
of the benefits of such a move.
The growing trend towards the use of alternative herbal treatments
has prompted the United Arab Emirates to warn consumers about the
potential health risks involved in using unregistered medicines.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has clamped down on the
sale of nicotine lollipops via pharmacies and the Internet, warning
that the products could easily be consumed by children.
A government advisory panel in the United Arab Emirates, is
considering the possibility of fortifying flour with iron in a bid
to stave off the threat of anaemia caused by iron deficiency.
