More than 70 stakeholders attended a botanicals workshop in the European Parliament’s Brussels offices last week as the heat increases to resolve regulatory ambiguity across the EU for herbal products - especially that ambiguity's impact on SMEs.
SoHo Flordis International, an Australian/Indonesian natural medicines company, has acquired two companies in the space, ProThera, based in Reno, NV and Swiss company Ginsana.
UK group Consumers for Health Choice (CHC) says meetings with “5-6” Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) last week shows widespread concern over mooted changes that would restrict high-dose food supplements across the EU.
French firm Roquette is opening its labs and expertise to food supplement and pharma manufacturers with a new initiative called, ‘Boost your NutraPharma project’.
The levels of iodine provided by fortified breads is not enough to provide for the requirements of pregnant women and their developing babies, according to new research which recommends the additional use of supplements.
When it comes to helping keep bones healthy during exercise, the timing of calcium and vitamin D supplementations may just as important as the amount taken, according to new research.
The European Union has pledged to spend an 'unprecedented' €3.5 billion on improving battling malnutrition accross the globe, reveals Commissioner Piebalgs.
US-based foods and supplements manufacturer, Now International, hasn’t sat on its hands since the EU’s new health claim laws kicked into play in 2008 – taking pre-emptive action to keep abreast of the new formulation and health claims landscape.
Current vice-chair Lynn Lord has replaced Martin Last as chair of the UK Health Food Manufacturers’ Association (HFMA) and promised a communications review as well as consolidating core services.
French supplier Roquette is putting its R&D supplements facility up for rent by any party seeking to develop food supplements and food products – whether they are its own customers or not.
Updated EU regulations on the limits for silicon dioxide and silicate in food supplements have been welcomed by Food Supplements Europe after the members of the trade body spotted an error in legislation.
Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, conventionally used for joint health, may have the potential to guard against colorectal cancer, according to researchers.
A Swedish lab has found amphetamine-like compounds in sports supplements containing a herbal extract that has been touted as a replacement for widely banned stimulant, DMAA. But the lab said the compounds were not illegal, while the product maker has...
The Dutch start-up Medical Brands is finding success with cranberry products that have won UTI and vaginal treatment claims via the EU medical devices directive.
Dutch ingredients giant DSM is launching a dry powder form of its Fruitflow tomato extract which has an EFSA-approved health claim for improved blood circulation – attained in 2009.
Eating mushrooms containing vitamin D2 can be as effective at increasing and maintaining vitamin D levels as taking supplemental vitamin D2 or D3, according to new findings.
There is no evidence that drugs, herbal products or vitamin supplements can help to prevent cognitive declines in healthy older adults, according to a new review.
Belgian, French and Italian authorities have agreed a preliminary list of botanical substances for use in foods and supplements, after a meeting in Rome yesterday.
Special edition: Superfruits - old news or still super?
Increasing raw material costs coupled with growing demand for natural health solutions has seen the market for superfruits boom in recent years, but has it may have also left the market ripe for adulteration.
Differences in the genetic makeup of vitamin D receptor proteins have a big impact on the effectiveness of supplementation with vitamin D3 but not vitamin D2, say researchers.
Improving levels of vitamin D in the blood via supplementation could help to fight of disease by affecting gene expression and boosting the immune system, say researchers.
Olympic Seafoods-owned krill player, Rimfrost, is trumpeting a new scheme that raises traceability levels in a sector that continues to suffer sustainability attacks despite independent sources calling the fishery one of the world’s best managed.
Seven webinars. Brand and supplier insights. Regulatory analysis. Market analysis. Marketing analysis. Science. You had better put this in your diary...
Europe’s new multilateral food supplements group says there is no inherent conflict between its big player-small player membership as all share the same goal of amending scientific requirements under the EU’s strict new health claim rules.
Better dialogue with regulators and scientists is the main purpose of a new European food supplements group formed today by a diverse alliance of national groups and ingredients and supplement players – both small and large.
The chief of EFSA’s health claims panel will discuss where the agency stands on the topic in 2013, at this year’s Vitafoods conference and expo in Geneva in May.
Poland is failing to recognise EU laws that promote free trade across member states when it comes to food supplements – and has been given two months to alter its laws or face EU court action.
Food supplement markets in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia have pushed through the €1bn mark for the first time, with Romania starring with 24% growth in 2011, says a new report.
Vitamin D daily recommended intakes (RDI) should be doubled from 10 to 20 μg/day, for the entire population, the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM) has concluded.
Pharmaceutical omega-3 products are important but will grow more slowly than some expect because of the long timeframe for drug approval, says the chief of the Global Organisation for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED).
UK food supplements lobby group, Consumers for Health Choice (CHC), has launched a new campaign to keep maximum permitted levels (MPL) for food supplements in UK hands.
Just got off the phone to Ola Snove, the new(ish) CEO of Aker part-owned Norwegian omega-3 specialist Epax. Wanted to know his view on high-end omega-3 prospects that have attracted BASF and DSM to the sector. His word: “Stellar”.
Royal DSM saw 2012 EBIT (operating) profits fall 27% to €635m from €866m in 2011 – but the human and animal nutrition business it has invested €2.4bn in since 2010 added 6% in profit.
Southern Israel-based algae-sourced astanxanthin specialists Algatechnologies has won investment from a UK venture capitalist in a move that will broaden its capacity, R&D and distribution scope for the eye and skin health carotenoid.
US supplier Balchem has joined with Dutch firm Van Eeghen Functional Ingredients (VEFI) to develop the European choline foods and food supplements market, after the nutrient won three EU health claims in 2012.
Women taking supplements containing isoflavones may have a lower risk of breast cancer, with high content supplements consistently linked with reduced risk, says a new analysis from Canada.
On a train to Brussels to cover NutraIngredients’ Probiotech and Microbiota two-day probiotic congress, had me wondering of the sector mood now it has had its claims ripped up by the EU’s hardline health claim process.
The premier pan-European food supplements trade group, EHPM, is directly taking control of its own affairs for the first time in its 38-year history, after its chairman Keith Legge departed at the end of last year.
Oral supplements containing extracts from green tea may help protect against sunburn and the longer-term effects of UV damage, says a new study from the UK.
