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.
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.
Members of the UK's herbal industry have proposed an overhaul of
current legislation to ensure stricter standards and safety for
those products not regulated by the new European Traditional
Medicinal Herbals directive.
The UK's medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency (MHRA)
says it is reviewing recent evidence on ginseng and is advising
women to avoid taking the herbal during pregnancy or lactation.
South Africa has joined numerous European countries by banning all
products containing the herbal remedy kava from sale. Yet another
market to be tackled by the coalition of kava campaigners launched
recently in Europe.
As with other trade issues, bringing the EU and US together on an
internationally recognised approach to health claims seems to be a
long way off, if ever achievable, concluded experts at a recent
seminar on health claims.
Biacore International has had its food analysis kit, used for the
rapid routine testing of the vitamin food supplement folic acid,
fully validated and certified as a Performance Tested Method by the
Association of Analytical Communities...
The EU's traditional herbal medicinal products directive will not
lead to the major loss of popular herbal products on the UK market
feared by many in the retail sector, suggests the latest estimate
from the country's medicines...
Finland's National Food Agency announced this week that it has
established an expert network to evaluate whether health claims
used to market foods, supplements and foods for particular
nutritional uses are adequately backed...
The Australian and New Zealand markets could soon see
cholesterol-lowering milks on sale, as the region's food agency
considers comments on a request from Parmalat Australia.
The British Nutrition Foundation has expressed concern in response
to the European Commission's proposal for a regulation on nutrition
and health claims. While understanding the need for regulation to
discourage misleading claims...
Products containing the herb Chelidonium majus should
include a warning label to consumers, Australia's Complementary
Medicines Evaluation Committee has advised.
The UK will ask the European Commission to develop a transparent
system of restrictions to prevent unhealthy foods being fortified
with vitamins, or health claims being made on fatty, salt-laden
products.
The proposed European regulation on nutrition and health claims
will severely restrict the marketing potential of supplement
makers, says the European Health Product Manufacturers Association
(EHPM), calling on the European Parliament...
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland is seeking views from Irish
industry on the European Community's proposed new regulation to
govern nutrition and health claims on foods.
Australia's Federal Court is to proceed with a class action against
a number of multinational vitamin companies for price fixing,
despite an appeal that the country did not have jurisdiction over
the companies.
Australia's health authorities are urging all companies still
storing recalled products made by Pan Pharmaceuticals to
immediately supply information on when the stock is being
destroyed, following mistaken sales of some Pan...
UN experts are to lower the safe intake level for methylmercury,
the most toxic form of mercury, in foods, after new data revealed
significant risks to human health from the substance.
Levels of carcinogenic PAHs in margarines are within recommended
limits, despite conflicting findings from a Swedish consumer
organisation, said Finland's national food agency this week.
The UK's Food Standards Agency has updated information on products
made by Australia's Pan Pharmaceuticals, which have been on sale in
the UK and could be a health risk to consumers.
Ireland's food safety authority has announced a recall of all
products made by Australian supplement maker Pan Pharmaceuticals
from the Irish market, following a major recall of Pan products in
its home market last month.
Regulations to implement the provisions of the EU directive on food
supplements in England were laid before the UK parliament this
week. The UK is likely to see the removal of more supplements than
most other Member States.
Finland's National Food Agency is to test the PAH levels in
margarine products, following a Swedish report suggesting that a
sample of Becel pro.activ contained twice the legal level of the
carcinogenic compounds.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland is advising the industry to
remove 10 herbal supplement products from sale, after a survey
found them to contain irradiated components not highlighted in the
product labelling.
The National Association of Health Stores in the UK says it has
been granted leave by the High Court to bring a case against the UK
government and the National Assembly for Wales to overturn the
recent ban on the sale of kava products.
The Food Standards Agency held an open board meeting on 8 May 2003
in Cardiff, Wales - also broadcast live on the Agency's website -
to discuss the recent reports on vitamins and minerals,
phytoestrogens and GM foods.
Members of the health foods industry have voiced the need for
greater global consensus on safety limits for nutrients after last
week's EVM report released by the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA)
revealed yet another different...
Repercussions of Australia's largest ever medicines recall
involving contract manufacturer Pan Pharmaceuticals, will hit the
natural health industry hard, and could also concern food
manufacturers.
The UK's National Association of Health Stores is hoping to hear
this week that it can start its High Court action against the
Medicines Control Agency and the Food Standards Agency concerning
the ban on the herbal remedy kava-kava.
The Commission recently discussed some of the Member States'
comments on its proposal to regulate fortified foods and adding
vitamins and other nutrients.
"There are no 'good' and 'bad' foods but rather 'good' and 'bad'
diets," said David Byrne, European Commissioner for Health and
Consumer Protection, discussing planned proposals on health...
Proposed new regulations governing the voluntary fortification of
foodstuffs with vitamins and minerals are to be discussed by the UK
Food Standards Agency.
Cognis Nutrition & Health, a nutritional ingredients supplier,
has responded to claims made earlier this week by Dutch rival
Loders Croklaan regarding the infringement of several of its
patents.
Germany's classification of garlic supplements as a medicine and
Italy's draconian laws on sports drinks have incurred the wrath of
the European Commission this week.
The new marketing agreement between Natural and Cognis for Tonalin
CLA has been marred by the filing of a lawsuit against Natural by
Loders Croklaan, which claims its patents have been infringed.
German herbal extract manufacturer Euromed has received Kosher
certification from a US certification agency. The company is one of
the first European companies to gain the accreditation.
Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche yesterday said its vitamins and
fine chemicals unit, recently sold to DSM, fully complies with new
requirements for vitamin E issued this month by the Netherlands.
The European Commission has published a draft proposal for a
directive on the addition of vitamins, minerals and other
substances to food. The directive, to be discussed at an expert
meeting in March, aims to ease trade of fortified...
The maker of natural supplements Lichtwer Pharma has been warned
against making anti-ageing claims for a supplement designed to
promote healthy skin by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority.
Noting the large numbers of Europeans seeking health-related
information on the Internet, the European Commission has adopted a
communication setting out a number of criteria for health-related
websites. The quality criteria include...
British consumers can tuck in to mince pies and Christmas cake
without worrying about the quality of the dried fruit ingredients,
according to a survey by the UK's Food Standards Agency.
European members of parliament have adopted a resolution for new
legislation on traditional herbal products which will require all
herbal medicines on sale in the European Union to be registered.
The UK's Office of Fair Trading yesterday launched a campaign
urging consumers to 'wise up' to misleading advertisements for
'miracle cure' health, beauty and slimming products. The market for
slimming products...
European food manufacturers will soon have to label the complete
content of all foodstuffs, including alcohol, in an EU measure to
protect consumers, particularly those with allergies. The European
Commission's proposal, part...