Danone Baby Nutrition says the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) failed to engage in “direct scientific dialogue” in the lead-up to the agency’s scientists handing it a negative opinion for a prebiotic-infant immunity health claim in December.
The UK Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) has revised its guidelines to bring them in line with the 2006 European Union nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR).
ConfectioneryNews.com caught up with Hans Vriens, chief innovation officer with global chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut at the industry trade show Pro Sweets, where he spilled the beans on the future for functional chocolate.
Japanese probiotics pioneer, Yakult Honsha, will commence manufacturing its little probiotic dairy bottles in the US for the first time in 2012, the company has announced, as it seeks to move into eastern seaboard US states.
Swedish probiotics player, Probi, is pursuing “unofficial” dialogue with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) after the scientific agency closed the formal process by rejecting its probiotic health claim appeal.
Beverage manufacturers seeking to extend their health and wellness portfolio can now incorporate a clinical dose of an immune boosting probiotic strain to their refrigerated fruit juice range while keeping their all-natural positioning, claims Danisco.
India’s probiotics market has been highlighted by researcher Frost & Sullivan as a “major growth market of the future”, with annual growth of 22.6 per cent until 2015.
In the third part of our series on weight management, NutraIngredients looks at how nutritional approaches may boost body-shaping, and how our gut microflora may be the future of weight management.
In the second part of our focus on weight management, NutraIngredients looks at the science behind the claims – from boosting fullness to energy burning.
Danisco and Arla are taking part in a €2.5m+ business/academia research project to isolate and develop some of the oligosaccharides naturally present in human breast milk for use in infant formulas.
Nestlé has launched a 200mL nutrient drink in Switzerland targeting the malnourished elderly – a segment of the population it says is deficient in key nutrients such as vitamin D, calcium and protein.
Gut health, along with weight management, are driving the Polish food supplements market, with pre- and probiotic supplements experiencing strong growth, according to market researcher, PMR.
The recession has not dented the will of consumers to pay price premiums for products that deliver digestive, bone and other benefits, according to European consumer research conducted by global inulin and oligofructose leader, Beneo-Orafti.
Belgian ingredients giant, the Beneo Group, says new European Union health rules favour ‘active’ health claims such as phytosterols, while discounting ‘passive’ claims such as those that replace ingredients with healthier versions to make products healthier.
A dossier containing 13 randomised controlled trials, 6 observational studies, and 15 non-human studies has failed to impress European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientists because the four strains in question were not sufficiently characterised.
Dispatches from the NI Health Claims 2010 conference
Concerns abound that the approach of the European Food Safety Authority towards health claims may stifle innovation and science, none more so than for prebiotics, says a leading researcher.
With ‘healthy’ populations identified as the ideal for the European Food Safety Authority’s health claims, NutraIngredients asks Yakult – what exactly is healthy?
India is developing guidelines that may mean probiotic strains will have to be backed by clinical trials conducted on Indian populations if they are to gain market approval.
Probiotics should be considered as living drugs rather than “simple good bacteria” in order to become effective treatment options for IBS, according to Joseph Haddad, medical director of Institut Rosell-Lallemand.
As a raft of non-positive opinions on probiotics floats down the health claims river, questions have been asked of the efficacy of the beneficial bacteria. Two experts discuss where we stand and how to get the good ship Probiotic back on course.
An inulin-rich extract that also contains polyphenols and other bioactive compound is very well tolerated, says a new study from France that builds the science behind an emerging product.
A mixture of inulin and carrageenan may allow the formulation of low-fat custard formulations with a creamier texture than the full-fat versions, says a new study.
A breakthrough in the understanding of how bacteria bind to the mucus layer protecting the gut lining could result in more effective probiotic design and selection.
Leading probiotics supplier, Chr Hansen, has inked a deal with Australian start-up, Probiomics, that will see it distribute a strain initial trials indicate has immunity benefits.
Lactobacillus GG (LGG) can decrease the risk of upper respiratory tract infections including rhinitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, otitis, and the common cold in children attending day care centres, claims a new study.
US researchers have successfully transferred gut bacteria from obese humans to germ-free mice, a breakthrough that will allow a more detailed study of the link between gut microflora and obesity.
Ka-CHING! Hear that? No it’s not the sound of overflowing cash registers as consumers throw endless wads of euros at scientifically-backed, healthy foods in greater numbers than ever before.
Three of Europe’s largest food supplement and healthy product trade groups have issued a 17-page paper that lays out its many concerns with the scientific approach being taken by EFSA in regard to health claims.
Chr Hansen’s refocus on bioscience over the last four years, and a pipeline of new products, has yielded yet another year of growth in both sales and profits that defies the economic downturn.
Pooling nutrient information is becoming an important and time efficient way for companies seeking scientific data about nutrients – especially those seeking to back health claims under the European Union’s tough claims system.
A new partnership with chemical group Solvay will enable the distribution of a low dosage prebiotic food ingredient with multiple food and drink applications within Europe, the Middle East and Africa, claims Tate & Lyle.
Genetic typing, internationally recognised naming protocols and evidence of consistency in the final product have been highlighted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as critical factors for probiotic health claim submissions.
Chr. Hansen is remarketing its probiotics to underline their scientific backing as the industry reels from EFSA’s mass rejection of probiotic dossiers.
There is not enough evidence to support the claim that probiotics can remedy or prevent bacterial vaginosis (BV), according to a new study conducted jointly by scientists in the United Arab Emirates, Belgium and Italy.
Pan-European better nutrition advocate, the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH), says the European Union health claims system is going way beyond its remit to protect consumer interests and curtailing freedom of speech.
The European Commission has set itself the goal of processing the 94 generic article 13.1 health claim opinions issued by EFSA recently by the end of January, meaning claim rulings could be enforceable at retail level by July, 2010.
The voluntary UK advertising watchdog has told Danone to cease broadcasting TV adverts that stated its one-shot probiotic drinking yoghurt, Actimel, could boost the immune system of children.
Immune health from gut health is not too obscure for consumers, but work needs to be done on identifying the mechanisms involved, said the conclusions from a two-day meeting in Toulouse.
Three University of Reading scientists wrote to the European Commission in July expressing concern about EFSA’s approach to evaluating probiotic article 13.1 dossiers.
The European Food Safety Authority’s mass rejection of probiotic dossiers is not the disaster it appears if ‘technical’ obstacles can be overcome, according to a group that represents the biggest yoghurt players in the world.
Supplements of the milk protein lactoferrin alone or in combination with a probiotic the reduced incidence of infection in pre-term babies, says a new study.
Last week’s European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claim opinions have received a lot of mainstream media attention in the UK national consumer press, with the probiotic claim rejections gaining the most attention.
A daily shot of a probiotic milk drink may reduce inflammation and bleeding in the mouth linked to gingivitis and gum disease, says a new study from Germany.
Danone’s newly submitted article 14 probiotic, diarrhoea health claim, is a product of the ongoing learning process that is occurring as companies come to grips with the reality of the European Union’s new health claim regime, according to the French...
Supplements of a prebiotic galactooligosaccharide mixture may reduce the incidence of travellers’ diarrhoea by about 34 per cent, says a new study from the UK.
Get your pitchforks ready! There are evil-doers out there! We’ve been conned: Probiotics don’t work. Dannon’s settling out of court, EFSA’s rejecting health claims, and the media is starting a witch hunt.
In HG Wells’ The War of the Worlds it is not the almighty weapons of humanity that defeated the invading Martians. It is a lack of immunity to the earth’s tiny pathogenic bacteria.
Danone will resubmit withdrawn article 13.5 European Union probiotic health claims by year’s end with additional trials added to the dossiers to strengthen their claims, according to a health claims expert working with the company.
Applying probiotic bacteria to fresh-cut apple wedges may offer an alternative way for a daily boost to gut health, and offer a dairy-free alternative, suggests new research from Ireland.
Postbiotic ingredients are set to open up a world of opportunities across the human health and nutrition industry, fueled by developing science demonstrating...
