Finnish plant stanol leader and Benecol brand owner Raisio says plant sterol users like rival Unilever (pro.activ) are piggybacking off stanol science in high-dose products and wants the EU to mount separate reviews of the cholesterol-busting nutrients.
Increasing intakes of soy and other plant-based foods and supplements can reduce environmental burdens – but does the political will exist to do it? Not really, says the chair of the 10-year-old European Natural Soyfood Manufacturers Association (ENSA).
By Shane Starling at #FIE2013 in Frankfurt, Germany
Botanical food supplements deemed medicinal have less than six months to achieve herbal medicines status or be removed from shelves in the UK – but the sector says the law remains unclear.
DNA barcoding for botanicals has a bright future, despite comments that it may not yet be fit for purpose, and the next 2-3 years will see a ‘huge shift’ towards the ‘robust and reliable technology’, says the CEO of AuthenTechnologies.
Nestlé has affirmed its position in the face of an NGO-led petition begun in April that has won 331,500 signatures protesting the food firm's intentions for the nutrient-rich fennel flower.
French botanicals giant Naturex has debuted a cranberry extract – most typically aimed at women with urinary tract infection (UTI) issues - marketed at with elderly men with similar problems.
The UK’s major food supplements trade association has joined the local medicines regulator in fighting a pharma player-led High Court legal action to ban glucosamine’s right to exist as both a food and a medicine in the UK and potentially other EU markets.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has warned consumers off VERSA-1, the second pre-workout sports supplement made by Texas-based manufacturer USPLabs containing the disputed ingredient, aegeline.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has joined the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) in warning consumers off pre-workout sports supplement, OxyElite Pro.
Punicalagins from pomegranate may offer benefits for joint and skin health by inhibiting the activity of enzymes that break collagen, according to data from cell and animal studies.
The botanicals industry was pleasantly surprised recently when the EU’s central science agency backed an isolated health claim for a bowel-benefitting herbal blend – but is EFSA really changing its botanicals approach before the EC has told it to?
The European Union botanicals sector has been in limbo since 2010 when 2078 botanical health claim applications were placed on hold as the European Commission bowed to pressure to reconsider the scientific criteria for their validation. With no end to...
Botanical players who are serious about providing good quality products must take more care of their supply chain in order to increase sustainability and build quality, says Professor Monique Simmonds, OBE.
EFSA’s approval this week of a botanical health claim for bowel health represents a significant shift in its assessment methodologies, according to an EU food law expert.
In a fresh raft of health claim opinions the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has backed certain carbohydrates for post-sports recovery and a vitamin B form for energy.
EFSA has said a plant-based blend of hydroxyanthracene derivatives can improve bowel function after analysing a dossier with two unpublished clinical trials from a French firm.
The French food safety agency (ANSES) has called for input into the safety of red yeast rice – commonly used in food supplements with EFSA-backed cholesterol management health claims – after it was made aware of 25 adverse events.
It’s a sacred tree to Hindus and the dried fruit is used in teas, but could Bael (Aegle marmelos) soon be the center of intense scrutiny from the herbal community, analytical experts, and regulatory authorities?
Australia and New Zealand have jointly issued a warning against pre-workout sports supplement OxyElite Pro following its links to an outbreak of acute non-viral hepatitis in Hawaii that killed one person and affected 29.
In the wake of some Western countries like Britain capping sales of traditional medicine imports from China, the country is now ramping up efforts to standardise production in the segment.
British, Danish and Spanish authorities have warned people not to consume OxyElite Pro, following a similar US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning issued to manufacturer USPLabs after a Hawaiian outbreak of hepatitis linked to the pre-workout supplement.
Sales of brain health boosting food supplements like omega-3s, the B vitamin group, vitamin C and phosphatidylserine are driving the category toward sales of €2bn globally, even as brain-boosting foods and beverages have endured a flat period.
Italian botanicals giant Indena will market a high-potency cranberry extract made by French firm Pharmatoka in global markets like South Korea, India and Russia, under a new alliance.
The stop-and-go, uncoordinated approach of EU-level and national regulators to bans on nutritional supplements including DMAA, dexaprine and synephrine, should be a cause for concern among policy makers and industry alike, warns Luca Bucchini, PhD.
As consumer perceptions of caffeine shift and the threat of more market regulation looms, companies are scrambling to find the next blockbuster to cater to demand for energy-boosting products, says an analyst.
Leatherhead Food Research (LFR) is working on a project to support food and drink processors seeking to make cognitive performance claims for their products.
As the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) welcomed a broad range of stakeholders to its Italian HQ today to debate data and process transparency, the food industry asked at what point openness brakes innovation and competitive advantage?
A dossier of scientific data that convinced Health Canada and Intertek Cantox of the safety of bitter orange extract, synephrine, has been sent to Finnish authorities which recently banned weight loss products containing the stimulant, along with caffeine.
Researchers say that Indena’s new grape seed procyanidins (GSP) product – now only using water as extraction solvent – is effective in blood pressure management when coupled with lifestyle factors.
Southern and central European firms Genosa and Europharma Alliance are blending their respective omega-3 and olive oil extract knowledge in heart health food supplements.
A new-onset type 2 diabetic who developed diarrhea after being prescribed the drug Metformin resumed regular bowel movements, lost weight and experienced a dramatic reduction in fasting blood sugar after taking a novel ‘cobiotic’ ingredient, according...
Flavonoids from blueberries may improve vascular function in healthy men, according to findings of two randomized, controlled, double-blind, crossover human-intervention trials from Europe.
Fat burning food supplements containing a combination of caffeine and synephrine are dangerous, according to Finnish authorities which have called for their removal from shelves.
A blending system dubbed Smart Powder Blends aims to shake up the old 'black box' blending system whereby traceability of ingredients and competition in pricing may be limited, say its creators Premium Ingredients and BlendHub.
Barry Callebaut's R&D department talks to ConfectioneryNews after winning a blood flow health claim for cocoa flavanols in dark chocolate and cocoa beverages.
Australia’s Federal Department of Health has released a new discussion paper aimed at the regulation and availability of caffeinated energy drinks in Australia and New Zealand.
Danish ingredients giant Chr Hansen has today rebranded itself ‘Nature’s Number 1’ as it announced a 6-platform strategic overhaul of its colours, enzymes and cultures businesses.
A blend of extracts from red orange, grapefruit, sweet orange, and guarana can reduce abdominal fat, waist and hip circumference, French researchers have found.
PepsiCo is exploring the potential of natural energy drinks containing Chinese herbal extracts that can alleviate fatigue and enhance sports performance without a big dose of caffeine, a patent application indicates.
French start-up supplier Dialpha Laboratories is gaining success with Ceylon cinnamon extracts promoting weight loss after just a few months on the market.
A herbal blend based on sesame seed lignan extracts can help reduce blood glucose levels among a growing proportion of the population classed as pre-diabetic, according to Indian researchers.
The world’s biggest manufacturer of Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) outside of China has defended the quality of the sector as contaminated products continue to raise red flags with regulators in the UK, Hong Kong, Denmark and elsewhere.
The global botanical medicines and supplements sector is a fragile one, and one whose fragility is being amplified by a small number of – let’s not beat about the sea buckthorn bush – dodgy players.
The UK medicines regulator has reinstated fat burning supplement, Dexaprine, after learning the Californian manufacturer had developed a special formulation for the UK market with medicinal ingredients removed.
The European sports nutrition sector has backed Dutch and UK bans of a fat burning product called Dexaprine, and welcomed actions against “cowboy operators”.
Vivid Drinks says it see massive potential in matcha as a standalone green tea category following massive industry interest in the UK’s first RTD beverage launch in this category
