Norwegian firm Pronova Biocare is investing more than €6 million in
production facilities to meet the rapid growth in the market for
marine omega-3 fatty acids over the last year.
Trade associations in the UK are taking legal action in an attempt
to hold off the EU food supplements directive, which threatens to
damage one of the biggest and most diverse natural products markets
in Europe.
The use of collagen hydrolysate for osteoarthritis patients
warrants further study, said experts meeting at last week's World
Congress on Osteoarthritis in Berlin, especially given the
predicted rise in joint disease over coming...
The Chinese herbal aristolochic acid, banned in several countries
for causing kidney failure and cancer, is readily available from
websites, according to a US researcher, revealing the growing
threat to the supplement industry from...
A meta-analysis of trials on the use of mistletoe extract to treat
cancer failed to show efficacy, report UK researchers in the
International Journal of Cancer.
Pan Pharmaceuticals, previously Australia's biggest manufacturer of
vitamins and natural remedies, could be on the way to recovery,
after the medicines agency confirmed a satisfactory audit has been
completed.
Numico is to sell the last of its supplement activities in two
major deals announced today. Vitamex goes to Swedish firm Wilhelm
Sonesson for €31 million, while an investor group is buying US
retailer GNC for $750 million.
The use of herbal medicines entails risks, but probably fewer than
with synthetic drugs, argues a British Medicial Journal
editorial out tomorrow. And failing to fund further studies on
herbals represents the biggest risk to consumers,...
Breast feeding does not protect against overweight and obesity in
later life, as previously believed, suggest researchers in two
studies in this week's British Medical Journal.
French ingredients firm Rhodia Food has developed technology to
include beneficial probiotics in a nutritional bar, helping
manufacturers to tap into two of the biggest trends in healthy
eating.
Degussa BioActives has improved its phosphatidylserine (PS) formula
for soft gel applications, after research by its R&D team found
possible interactions between the soft gel capsule and its PS
filling.
The flurry of activity in CLA applications is being backed by a
growing body of research to support the ingredient, particularly
for its effects on weight loss, potentially one of its most
profitable uses in the functional foods market.
UK natural healthcare company William Ransom could sell one of its
manufacturing sites to generate cash for a new botanical extraction
facility planned for next year, it said this week.
Sales at the Roche vitamins and fine chemicals division fell even
lower in the third quarter, the Swiss firm reported yesterday,
releasing its final set of figures for the unit now owned by DSM.
Big portions encourage people to eat more but big portions of
calorie dense food - the kind people tend to grab on the run -
boost calorie consumption even higher without providing additional
satisfaction, suggests new US research.
A probiotic cheese and products with high CLA levels are among the
foods being developed at a new €16 million functional food research
centre, recently opened in Ireland. One of its goals is to boost
the competitive advantage of Irish...
Fortification of wheat flour with folic acid has substantially
improved folate status in a population of women of reproductive age
in Chile, report researchers in this month's Journal of
Nutrition.
The Australian government launched its National Nutrition Week
yesterday, urging parents to buy healthier food for their children
and help prevent the numbers of obese, 3.3 million in Australia,
from climbing.
Dutch firm Wessanen is to lay off managers at its Tree of Life
health food and supplement operations as part of a major
costcutting drive announced in the summer.
Leading Swedish food maker Procordia Food is to launch a series of
health-enhancing foods and has reached a deal with compatriot
BioGaia for use of its probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus
reuteri in products for the Nordic market.
German researchers have identified for the first time a potent
antioxidant compound in coffee which could explain its anti-cancer
activity. The study found that methylpyridinium, formed during the
roasting process, increased protection...
Finland's National Food Agency has banned several food supplement
makers from repeat marketing of unsubstantiated claims in a
clampdown on the use of health claims.
The ingredient specialists Cargill-Cerestar are launching new
cereal bar systems at the upcoming Food Ingredients Europe in
response to increasing demand from food manufacturers and
consumers.
New Zealand's Comvita has developed a manuka honey, thought to
enhance the immune system, especially for the Asian market. It is
enriched with a combination of traditional Chinese herbs.
Royal Numico has announced the sale of its Mumbai-based dairy and
baby food activities Nutricia India to a consortium of four Indian
companies, for an undisclosed sum.
Food makers could one day face demand for fructose-free products as
preliminary findings link the sugar found in fruits to a role in
gastrointestinal disorders.
The herbal extract aloe vera, more commonly used in cosmetics, is
increasingly being added to foods, with the latest innovation from
German dairy company Onken in the form of an aloe vera-enriched
low-fat yoghurt.
More than half the women participating in a trial in New Zealand
stopped taking HRT after last year's Women's Health study, report
researchers this week. Are natural supplements filling the gap?
Acatris, the health ingredients company of the Royal Schouten
Group, has sold the assets and the business of its brewery division
to English firm Lupofresh.
The healthy image of soyfoods is set to lift sales in Europe even
higher in coming years, with growth in soya-based alternatives to
dairy and meat products expected to enter double digits from 2003 -
2005, according to a pan-European...
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand is proposing to retain the
ban on adding kava to foods, but not dietary supplements regulated
under New Zealand regulations, and to keep the labelling statements
related to public health.
South African millers must fortify flour and maize meal with a
blend of vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, following new
legislation introduced this week to improve malnutrition in the
country.
Elderly people should consider taking supplements of B vitamins as
many are deficient in the nutrients, thought to protect against
heart disease, argue German researchers in a new study.
A small study carried out in the UK seems to support earlier
findings showing that coffee reduces the risk of diabetes.
Researchers found that both caffeine and another compound altered
glucose absorption in the intestine.
A Mexican firm is introducing its fibre-enriched drink, said to
help reduce cholesterol, on the European market, starting with a
launch in Spanish retailer El Corte Ingles this week. Further test
markets could include Italy, the UK...
French ingredients company Diana Vegetal, a partner of North
American group RFI Ingredients, has introduced a patent-pending
apple extract under the Phytonutriance name.
People who have been taking multivitamins for a long period of time
could see a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, report researchers
in the US. However they noted that the vitamins had no effect in
those who had recently begun to...
New Zealand dairy company Fonterra has developed an energy bar
prototype said to far exceed similar products on the market. It
contains a new milk bioactive ingredient, which the firm is hoping
to launch as a consumer product.
The trend in energy-giving chocolate continues with Cadbury's
launch of a guarana-fortified Tempo range in South Africa. And it
was not the only mainstream food company looking for added value
from products marketed as healthy...
UK health experts are warning parents to pay more attention to
their children's diets, as a new report finds that one in 10
six-year-olds are obese. And this figure, which continues to rise,
shows no sign of slowing.
As tough new European proposals on health claims undergo scrutiny
from member states, a UK-based consumer group keeps the pressure
up, claiming this week that 'food manufacturers are continuing
to make unwarranted health claims...
Swedish private company Lipid Technologies Provider (LTP) yesterday
announced the signing of a substantial investment agreement with
DSM Venturing, part of the DSM Group headquartered in Heerlen, the
Netherlands.
US-based Solgar Vitamin and Herb company has announced the
introduction of a new range of supplements for children in the UK
called Kangavites. The minerals in the supplements have been
specially coated in order to disguise the normally...
Boys and girls who diet to lose or maintain weight may actually be
doing the reverse, according to Harvard researchers, who add that
the phenomenon may be due to bouts of binge eating between dieting
periods.
DSM Nutritional Products - formerly Roche Vitamins - on Friday
awarded for the first time its 'International award for innovative
research in human nutrition' worth €25,000 to Dr Kenneth D.R.
Setchell for his pioneering...
In utero undernourishment is believed to alter the body's
metabolic programmming, increasing the risk of adult diseases in
offspring. But supplementing the diet with fish oil during
pregnancy can reduce the risk, according to...
Contrary to previous research findings, a new study in the US has
found that selenium supplements not only did not reduce the risk of
recurrence for previous sufferers of nonmelanoma skin cancer but
may even increase the risk of certain...
Britain is increasingly becoming a nation of extremes, with the gap
between the very rich and very poor, and the overweight and
underweight, becoming wider every year - all of which has
implications for the nation's food and...
