Australia's food authority is calling for industry comment on an
overhaul of its health claims regulation, which could see disease
risk reduction claims allowed on food labels.
Edible film strips will explode onto the market in early 2005,
predicts one manufacturer that is poised to meet the growing demand
from the nutritional products industry.
Building on a stronger start to the year, Germany's third largest
chemicals group reports continued growth into the second quarter
with an increase in demand pushing up sales and earnings for the
period, reports Lindsey Partos.
Leading sports drink manufacturers are hoping to increase market
shares this year with major marketing campaigns to coincide with
the Olympics. But the more specialist sector could also get a boost
if a new protein-containing drink...
Japanese functional food ingredients firm Taiyo Kagaku is set to
increase its share of global green tea sales with the recent
acquisition of Chinese green tea extract manufacturer Wuxi Green
Power Bio-Product.
Women with certain versions of the vitamin D receptor gene are
almost twice as likely to develop breast cancer than women with
other versions of the gene, finds a new study, that supports
previous evidence of the vitamin's protective...
US scientists have designed an edible film made from natural
ingredients that protects foods coated in the material from
spoiling. The film can also hold vitamins and other nutrients
within it to boost the nutritional value of the...
A natural derived seaweed mineral, produced by the Irish company
Marigot, has more bio-availability than industry standard calcium
carbonate, according a US study.
The growing popularity of the low-carb diet among US and UK
consumers is squeezing supplies for speciality ingredients used by
food makers to target this new market and driving ingredients firms
to roll out alternatives. Looking to...
Vitamin A and iron supplementation is as effective as hormone
therapy for enhancing growth and promoting puberty in children,
according to a new study.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has warned consumers
that any health or medical claims appearing on products containing
noni juice - extracted from the fruit Morinda citrofolia - are
totally unsubstantiated.
Researchers from Tufts University, Boston, US have concluded from a
review of recent literature that further studies need to be carried
out to substantiate the link between the ingestion of probiotics
and gastrointestinal health.
The German chemicals giant BASF has announced a successful second
quarter, though the company's nutrition and agricultural products
division turned in a poor performance with minimal sales growth and
reduced earnings from the...
Swiss chemicals firm Lonza has carried out a new study which
confirms that supplementation with L-Carnitine can significantly
increase fatty acid oxidation in healthy adults in a short period
of time without causing loss of muscle...
Spain's Food Safety Agency (AESA) has joined forces with FACE, the
organisation which supports the country's growing number of coeliac
sufferers, to ensure that foods labelled as suitable for those with
an intolerance to...
The increasingly popular herbal extract aloe vera may be able to
prolong the amount of time a trauma injury patient can survive
before receiving treatment, such as a blood transfusion, according
to researchers at the University of...
Food makers might want to push the value of full fat dressings as
food scientists in the US claim they could boost our health by
increasing the body's ability to absorb disease-fighting
carotenoids.
The land that gave birth to a small bottle of probiotic drink over
50 years ago has never looked back as far as functional foods are
concerned. A new report claims that the Japanese functional food
market is racing ahead of its western...
Adding isolated soy protein to men's diets could help reduce
problems experienced in the advanced stages of type two diabetes,
according to a small study by researchers at the University of
Illinois.
France may have a reputation as a nation able to retain its shape
despite consuming copious amounts of foie gras and cheese, but a
recent report suggests even the French are turning to diet products
and supplements in an attempt to...
Dutch specialty chemicals group Noviant has developed a certified
GM-free disintegrant for use in tablets, allowing supplement makers
to continue supplying a full range of products without having to
add labels required under new European...
Soft drink and snack maker PepsiCo might not spring immediately to
mind when thinking about healthy food products, but the US company
clearly believes it has a role to play in this fast-growing market
- and has added a new logo to...
Consumption of fresh fruit is on the rise in the UK, shows new
government data, leading to a notable increase in intake of vitamin
C. But a decline in other foods such as milk means calcium, iron
and other nutrients are still lacking...
The US International Trade Administration yesterday announced its
preliminary determinations in investigations on shrimp dumping by
Brazil, Ecuador, India, and Thailand. These have already had an
important impact on glucosamine prices...
A new phytosterol ingredient, said by its Swedish manufacturer to
represent the 'second generation' of phytosterol ingredients, has
been given the go-ahead for use on the European market.
The sale of Raisio's chemicals business has had a major benefit on
the firm's first half profits but new functional food launches and
sales of the Finnish company's cholesterol-lowering ingredient also
lifted earnings...
The benefits of conventionally grown produce over organic foods was
the focus of a recent debate between food technologists with
scientists warning it is too early to reach conclusions, despite
new research that suggests some organic...
The rapid growth in the use of the natural antioxidant CoQ10 in the
cosmetics and supplement industry has prompted the Japanese
corporation Kaneka to build a new plant in the US and to establish
an American subsidiary to service the...
The trace mineral selenium should be considered as a potential
factor to lower one of the markers of heart disease, homocysteine,
say Spanish researchers.
Increasing evidence for the value of low glycaemic index foods in
reducing risk of type 2 diabetes may benefit high-fibre foods and
those using healthy ingredients.
Dairy company Fonterra and German vitamin maker BASF are
collaborating on research to find new commercial opportunities for
value-added, healthy dairy products.
UK chemicals group Croda has seen strong demand for its marine and
nutritional oils as well as products for the personal care sector,
driving sales to the personal and healthcare sectors up 14 per cent
at constant currency rates in...
Tough regulations on GM labelling look set to play a pivotal role
in the development of the European market for natural vitamin E,
writes Dominique Patton. Demand for the soybean-derived
product will be severely restricted by a lack...
Almost three quarters of Irish adults have low vitamin D intakes
and strategies to increase intake of this vitamin should be
investigated, say researchers in a new study.
Drinking coffee could upset the body's ability to metabolise sugar,
with potentially serious effects in those with the increasingly
common condition type 2 diabetes, suggest scientists.
Yoghurts and spreads still account for the majority of the UK's
functional foods market, shows new research, and this is reflected
in advertising spend.
An analysis of eight different studies on fish consumption supports
the theory that the food protects against stroke, particularly
ischaemic stroke. But the evidence does not offer the same proof
for supplements of fish oil, warn...
Health concerns continue to drive market growth for soy ingredients
but prices have risen over the past year due to a squeeze in
supplies. However, favourable weather conditions for soybean crops
in the US could offer some relief...
The herbal plant arnica, used in creams to stop bruising and
thought to have anti-inflammatory properties, could one day be
grown for commercial use in the Scottish Highlands, creating a new
supply of the plant that is declining rapidly...
An Australian firm, which yesterday received a food industry award
for its range of heart healthy grape extracts, is looking into
export opportunities on the European market. But health claims
regulations may increase the challenges...
Confirming market opportunities for suppliers and users of fibre
ingredients, a review from the UK suggests that cancer of the gut -
one of the major causes of death from cancer - might be prevented
through a change in diet, writes...
The substantial body of scientific research on the cranberry has
given it a unique selling point in the French market, where it
became the first fruit to receive a health claim.
Soy-based formulas are often recommended for infants with food
allergies, but a review of past studies suggests they should not be
recommended for the prevention of allergies or food intolerance in
infants at high risk.
The safety of a new glucosamine ingredient, being produced through
fermentation by Cargill, has been approved by an expert panel in
the UK, a major step towards its use in the European Union,
writes Dominique Patton.
