New Zealand proposes to allow therapeutic claims for health supplement exports
New Zealand’s Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard has proposed loosening requirements for dietary supplements meant for export—a move that the local industry believes would be a game-changer.
Critics of New Zealand’s natural health product policies have long objected to the restrictions imposed by the 1985 Dietary Supplements Regulations on the therapeutic claims that can be made about dietary supplements.
In his Sept. 23 announcement, Hoggard introduced updates that would allow New Zealand’s dietary supplements exporters to make therapeutic claims in line with the requirements of importing countries.
Exporters will also be exempt from New Zealand’s compositional requirements for food additives and maximum daily dose of vitamins and minerals. Currently, dietary supplement exporters must comply with both New Zealand’s labeling and composition requirements and those of countries to which they export. This is the case even if the products are not intended for sale in New Zealand.
Hoggard explained that the current regulatory regime, which restricts product composition and prohibits therapeutic claims, limits the flexibility of New Zealand exports to compete in international markets, resulting in “lost commercial opportunities.”
Why is matters: This reform could significantly improve the competitiveness of New Zealand supplement exporters and reflects a broader trend toward export-focused regulatory modernization.
Amway agrees $225 million settlement with FTC over alleged deceptive business practices
Multilevel marketing giant Amway and two Amway licensees will pay $225 million to resolve allegations from the Federal Trade Commission and the state of Washington for alleged unfair and deceptive tactics.
The settlement is reportedly the largest monetary recovery obtained in an FTC action against a multilevel marketing company.
Amway gives individuals, referred to as Independent Business Owners (IBOs), the chance to own and operate their own business selling a variety of consumer products, ranging from nutritional supplements to energy drinks to health and beauty products.
According to the complaint, Amway and two Amway licensees, World Wide Group, L.L.C. (WWG) and Leadership Team Development Inc. (LTD), are alleged to use a variety of deceptive and unfair tactics, including misrepresentations about likely earnings.
The complaint also alleged that Amway, WWG and LTD deceptively instructed IBOs to falsely report selling products that they, in fact, did not sell, to create the appearance that the Amway opportunity revolves around selling products rather than attempting to recruit new IBOs to purchase Amway products.
“Amway and its affiliates misled prospective workers with false earnings claims and then pressured them to buy Amway products they were unlikely to be able to sell,” stated Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a press release. “[This] action makes clear that the FTC will not tolerate any company deceiving workers—whether through deceptive earnings claims or by promoting reports of false sales to make direct selling or multilevel marketing opportunities look appealing to consumers.”
Why it matters: The case reinforces increasing regulatory scrutiny of direct-selling business models, especially where supplements are sold through MLM channels.
Kerry bets on growing UK gut health market with Bio-K+ launch
International food ingredients corporation Kerry has launched its probiotic brand Bio-K+ in the UK and Ireland, bringing the company’s most researched probiotic products to the British Isles.
Bio-K+ is a four-product capsule range designed to provide digestive support. The formulations range from 12.5 to 50 billion colony-forming units (CFU) per serving, with each formulation tailored to different digestive needs.
The range is built on 30 years of microbiome research and is commonly used by healthcare practitioners in North America. Johan Hellmor, VP Kerry Health Europe, said this has helped Bio-K+ establish a strong reputation, and the UK launch positions the brand to meet growing UK demand for scientifically substantiated digestive health solutions.
“The UK represents one of Europe’s most mature and innovation-driven digestive health markets, with consumers increasingly seeking products that deliver proven health benefits and transparent scientific substantiation,” he said. “Bio-K+ combines proprietary probiotic strains with an extensive body of clinical research and a long history of use. As interest in evidence-based digestive health solutions continues to grow, we see an opportunity to introduce a scientifically supported probiotic offering to consumers in the UK market.”
Why it matters: The gut health category remains one of the industry’s strongest growth engines, with companies investing heavily in clinically substantiated probiotics and microbiome science.
The Better Menopause: Bringing scientific substantiation to the burgeoning menopause market
Three female entrepreneurs who entered the menopause wellness market before it became mainstream are investing in gold-standard science to differentiate their products in a surging market.
After holding C-Suite roles in media and marketing and running a private nutritional practice specializing in women’s health, Joanna Lyall considered it a perfect opportunity to combine both areas of expertise when she was approached by entrepreneur investor Debbie Wosskow.
“She was looking for a business partner to build a wellness supplement brand for women in mid-life, with a particular interest in gut health, and the opportunity seemed like the perfect way for me to combine the two separate worlds,” Lyall said.
They launched The Better Menopause in the UK in July 2023 aiming to provide all-in-one blends targeting key menopause-related health issues with their first formulation named The Better Gut.
Since then, they have expanded their product range with three more lines—Better Night, Better Libido, and Better Metabolism—and quickly grown their consumer base across the UK, Ireland, US, Australia and Canada.
Why it matters: As menopause becomes a mainstream consumer health category, brands that can support claims with credible science are likely to gain an advantage over lifestyle-oriented competitors with weaker evidence bases.
Krill oil removed from Aussie supermarkets
Environmental advocates have linked the removal of krill oil supplements from Coles and Woolworths, two of Australia’s largest supermarket retailers, to a broader campaign against products to be “unsustainably sourced” from Antarctica. However, some industry players said the removal happened much earlier due to sales performance.
According to global health and wellness brand Swisse, for example, its Swisse Ultiboost High Strength Krill Oil has not been stocked in Coles and Woolworths since 2024.
“The product was not meeting sales expectations in the supermarket channel, which was why the product was removed from the range,” a Swisse spokesperson said.
The product is still available in other retailers such as the discount pharmacy chain Chemist Warehouse.
The spokesperson added that the product contains krill oil sourced from Aker BioMarine, a Marine Stewardship Council-certified supplier that follows fishing practices designed to support the long-term sustainability of the Antarctic krill fishery.
Aker BioMarine views the removal of krill oil supplements primarily as an issue of the sales channels being unable to move the products.
“I’m confident that any retailer who says they’re delisting krill is doing it for performance reasons,” said Ross Norris, general manager Asia-Pacific at Aker BioMarine. “They are doing it because it doesn’t sell enough in their channels, and they’re seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the campaign.”
Why it matters: Sustainability concerns are becoming increasingly important to retailers and consumers, but are actions really in reaction to environmental concerns or an excuse to remove poor performing products?
