The world’s biggest manufacturer of Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) outside of China has defended the quality of the sector as contaminated products continue to raise red flags with regulators in the UK, Hong Kong, Denmark and elsewhere.
Calcium supplements that are widely recommended for women undergoing treatment for breast cancer may not prevent the bone loss side effects they are suggested for, warn researchers.
The global botanical medicines and supplements sector is a fragile one, and one whose fragility is being amplified by a small number of – let’s not beat about the sea buckthorn bush – dodgy players.
HFMA: “The report ignores the significant efforts by UK manufacturers’ to comply with the regulation...”
The UK food supplements industry has hit back at the consumer watchdog there that today slammed some of Europe’s biggest manufacturers like Seven Seas, Vitabiotics and Boots for deceiving consumers with unsubstantiated health claims.
Mo Farah, the British track athlete who just bagged world titles in the 5000m and 10,000m in Moscow, takes amino acid and vitamin and mineral supplements his coach has said in defending Farah’s rising performances against doping accusations.
A polymer used in as pill coating and approved in pharma applications has been found to be safe in food supplements by the EU’s central science agency after a request from the European Commission.
Fermented resveratrol from Swiss biotech firm Evolva has won Japanese pre-approval in foods and food supplements – but the company says it won’t be jumping straight into the market.
The EU’s newest and 28th member state – Croatia – will see few immediate changes in its food supplements sector as its laws already mimicked those of the bloc but an analyst says consolidation of the market is likely – especially eastwards.
Sports supplements are safer and more rigorously tested than regular foods, says Europe’s premier sports nutrition group, after UK athletics authorities questioned their use among elite athletes.
In the wake of positive drug tests for track athletes Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay UK Athletics (UKA) says sport supplement safety cannot be guaranteed, although contaminant testing programmes offer some security.
Europe’s head science agency has joined other international authorities in backing B vitamin folate’s ability to reduce neural tube defects (NTDs) like spina bifida and hydrocephalus in early-stage foetuses.
A high dietary intake of resveratrol from dietary supplements may counteract many of the cardiovascular benefits of exercise in older men, according to new research.
UK pharmacy chain Boots and German food supplement association BLL have joined Food Supplements Europe (FSE), formed last year with a membership including DSM, Merck, Herbalife and various national trade groups.
Vitamin D deficiency is linked to an increased risk of infection in neurosurgical intensive care unit patients, according to new research that backs supplementation to improve immune status and fight off infection.
An Irish firm has created a range of customisable food supplements built on approved European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claims aimed specifically at 18-34 year olds – a group not known to consume a lot of supplements.
NBTY Europe has stopped selling the USN sports nutrition range in its Holland & Barrett stores in the UK after a hike in local taxes forced a review of the brands it worked with.
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.
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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.
