Botanicals

“NFSA recommends consumers to be cautious when using such products...

Norway issues green tea extract warning

By Shane STARLING

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) is warning consumers about unspecified, high-dose green tea products (Camellia sinensis) after they were linked to liver complaints, even though the details of consumption have not been revealed.

Melon extract eases stress: Study

Melon extract eases stress: Study

By Anne Bruce

A new 12-week clinical study has strengthened evidence that melon-derived superoxide dismutase (Sod) supplements can help reduce stress and fatigue and improve cognitive performance.

FSE:

France adopts 60% of BELFRIT list for safe botanicals

By Shane STARLING

The €2bn EU botanical food supplements market has been boosted by France’s imminent adoption of a 600-strong, positive list based on the well-regarded BELFRIT list, according to industry sources.  

“Increases in markers of muscle damage and inflammation tended to be lower in the curcumin group…”

Science short

Curcumin reduces muscle soreness: Study

By Shane STARLING

A proprietary curcumin extract can ease post-exercise muscle soreness caused by oxidative stress and inflammation, an Italian study has found.

German court overturns kava ban

German court overturns kava ban

By Shane STARLING

Germany’s 12-year ban on calming herb kava is, “unlawful and inappropriate” the country’s Federal Administrative Court has found.

Olive Lifesciences.claims bioavailability of its curcuminoid formulation BioTurmin-WD is more potent than 95% pure curcuminoids

Curcumin bioavailability boosted 7x: Industry study

By Nicola Cottam

The bioavailability of micronutrients in a proprietary curcuminoid formulation is seven times more potent than 95% pure curcuminoids, say researchers from the Indian manufacturer Olive Lifesciences.

“It’s going to be a really exciting time,

From the Vitafoods Europe 2014 vault

Mooted novel food changes will open exotic fruit doors in EU

By Shane STARLING

Exotic and functional fruits and vegetables like cashew nut fruit, chu chu and their extracts are set for an easier passage into European Union markets if mooted simplifications to EU Novel Foods laws come to fruition, according to a UK-based expert.

“Some plants were excluded because it was felt that the industry was not really using them. Evidence to the contrary would be important,” says Italian consultant.

'If they are not included, they may be relegated to novel food hell'

And the losers were… BELFRIT’s missing botanicals compiled

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Firms must fight the case of the botanicals that did not make it on the BELFRIT list, according to a consultant behind a comprehensive index of those excluded from the Belgian, French and Italian agreement.

Roquette opens 4-5000 tonne chlorella processing facility in France

Roquette opens 4-5000 tonne chlorella processing facility in France

By Shane STARLING

French supplier Roquette has advanced its commitment to the chlorella and algae extract market by inaugurating a 4-5000 tonne a year chlorella facility at its HQ near Lille in northern France, as chlorella continues to move from the shadow of spirulina.

ASA: “In light of the possible limitations of the methodology used, we considered that the study was unlikely to be sufficiently robust to support any weight loss claims.

ASA ruling

UK sensors homeopathic weight loss claims

By Nicola Cottam

The UK’s advertising watchdog has lambasted Slenderiiz UK for making insufficiently robust medicinal and weight loss claims on its website for its herbal homeopathic supplements - Slenderiix Drops and Xceler8 Drops.

Herb shows gastro benefits: Study

Herb shows gastro benefits: Study

By Nicola Cottam

Supplementation with Vital Solutions’ proprietary Benegut perilla frutescens leaf extract offers substantial relief from gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort, say researchers.

Knowledge base of herbal products sector is waning, pioneer fears

Knowledge base of herbal products sector is waning, pioneer fears

By Hank Schultz

As the herbal products industry develops the question arises of whether some of the knowledge that drove the initial spate of creativity in the pre- and post-DSHEA period is being lost as founders retire. At least one industry pioneer fears that is the...

Keeping it clean: 3 botanical chiefs pull adulteration weeds

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2014

Keeping it clean: 3 botanical chiefs pull adulteration weeds

By Shane STARLING

Botanical adulteration, like doping in sports, is a problem that can be controlled but never totally resolved, but what is being done about it? Here the world’s biggest botanical players debate their attacks on the problem.

'Adolescents don't know what they're drinking': Energy drinks study

ACADEMICS SUGGEST SALES BAN TO UNDER 18S

'Adolescents don't know what they're drinking': Energy drinks study warns

By Mark ASTLEY

Australian academics warn that young adolescents can easily identify energy drinks brands such as Red Bull or Monster, but are unaware of key ingredients including caffeine, guarana and taurine, and in comments that should serve as a wake-up call for...

Energy drinks with beauty benefits: A growth industry, according to MyDrink Beverages (Photo: Soren Rajczyk/Flickr)

CLEVER MARKETING CAN OVERCOME DIFFICULT EFSA SITUATION

Beauty meets the EU energy drinks beast…

By Ben BOUCKLEY

Energy drinks that also offer beauty or weight loss benefits have a growing market in the EU despite a difficult health claims environment.

Alban Maggiar on botanicals: “I understand [the EC] would not disagree with option 2,”

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2014

EU supplements sector presses on for EU botanical acceptance

By Shane STARLING

It has been a tumultuous few years for the European food supplements sector as it has had to learn to live under the world’s toughest health claims regime. Marketing strictures may be tighter than ever but the sector is in a good place, says the chairof...

EC gives thumbs up to €6m PlantLIBRA botanicals project. But will there be more?

From the 2014 International PlantLIBRA Conference in Vienna, Austria

EC gives thumbs up to €6m PlantLIBRA botanicals project. But will there be more?

By Shane STARLING

As the EU’s ambitious €6m PlantLIBRA project to further botancials science drew to a close this week at a congress in Vienna, we asked the European Commission about the project’s relative merits – and whether a ‘mark 2’ was on the cards.

Palm oil firm says sustainability not so focal for supplements

DISPATCHES FROM VITAFOODS Europe 2014

Sustainability? Not so focal for supplements, says palm oil firm

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Sustainability is not such an important issue for the supplements industry, because of the relatively low ingredient volumes involved and a difference in industry priorities, Malaysia-based Carotech has said.

Naturex:

EFSA rejects Naturex and Pharmachem cranberry-UTI claims

By Shane STARLING

Naturex and Pharmachem are the latest cranberry players to be rebuffed by the EU’s central science agency. In the first, it this week failed French botanical giant Naturex's urinary tract infection (UTI) dossier containing a key study it said, “showed...

Arkopharma Cys-Control marketing as it appeared online today. The UTI-focused product's EU medical device registration has been withdrawn and no claim is being made here...

Gunter Haesaerts: “The party is over now.”

French cranberry medical device status stripped

By Shane STARLING

French food supplements manufacturer Arkopharma has had its ‘EU medical device’ status revoked for a cranberry product that claimed to treat urinary tract infections (UTI) in women.

Flowens targets ‘huge category' of men with LUTS

Flowens targets ‘huge category' of men with LUTS

By Maggie Hennessy

French botanicals firm Naturex launched a cranberry powder extract aimed at older men with the lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) often associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). 

EU-backed metabolic syndrome project has health claim wins in sight

EU-backed metabolic syndrome project has health claim wins in sight

By Shane STARLING

Nick Henson is the Reading-based associate director at the International Food Network (IFN), a key player in the EU’s new multi-million euro, multi-partner Metabolic Syndrome-battling project, PATHWAY-27, that has health claim victories trained in its...

Former steroids seller finds scant integrity in supplements marketplace

Special edition: Sports nutrition

Former steroids seller finds scant integrity in supplements marketplace

By Hank Schultz

Kirk Radomski came through the fire of the performance enhancing drug scandal of Major League Baseball to a new life as the founder of a supplement company specializing in sports nutrition. The experience has given him a unique perspective on the business,...

Yohimbe limbo reveals cracks in EU risk management and regulatory processes, says ESSNA

Special edition: Sports Nutrition

Ban yohimbe just like ephedra, says EU sports nutrition sector

By Dr Adam Carey

EFSA last year concluded the safety profile of herbal stimulant yohimbe is inconclusive. Ban it anyway, says the chair of the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) in this guest article.

St John's wort: Lithuania has banned it, but will EU mutual recognition principles come to its rescue along with many others?

Lithuania bans 182 botanicals – or does it?

By Shane STARLING

Lithuania has sent a list of 182 botanicals it intends to ban in food supplements to the European Commission in a move one major supplier called “a step back” for EU harmonisation and free trade.

Omega-3 enriched camelina trials will be the only GM field trials currently in the UK. Photo credit: Sarah Usher/Rothamsted Research

DEFRA gives GM camelina omega-3 project go-ahead

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The UK government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has granted permission for field trials of genetically modified (GM) camelina plants that accumulate omega-3s in their seeds.

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