A fermented soybean extract that claims to help prevent blood clots is safe for use in food supplements, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded following a novel food application from a Japanese company that sparked member state concerns.
With mounting public pressure, the EU has experienced a tide change on the use of animal experiments in recent years. But is this in vitro political will reflected in vivo on lab floors?
Danone’s medical nutrition business Nutricia has recalled a batch of its Seravit nutrition product for hospitalised children in the UK and Ireland after it was discovered the products contained too high levels of amino acids, minerals and fats.
The Dutch supplements industry is celebrating a court ruling that sleep aid melatonin cannot be classed as a medicine if its dosage is above a certain threshold.
Comprehensive compendium given new searchable format
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) botanical interactive database will be fully up and running by early 2017, something one expert called a “great result”.
Italy could ban high-dose vitamin and mineral supplements after a nutrition committee recommended vitamin B12 (cobalamin) above 500 micrograms (ug) was medicinal.
For the first time the European Union has lost a member after the British people yesterday voted to leave the bloc which began life as the European Economic Community in 1951.
A European Union legal expert says last week’s UK Court of Appeal verdict that demanded the medicines regulator there re-examine the status of glucosamine, especially high-dose glucosamine, could provoke change in the sector across the EU.
The UK Court of Appeal has ruled that glucosamine products above 1500 mg can be sold as food supplements, but has urged the UK medicines agency to look at the matter.
Following reports that the Dutch and Belgian governments are to increase distribution of iodine pills as a nuclear safety precaution, a leading iodine expert warns of the dangers of self-medication in populations who aren’t at immediate risk.
The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has seized 12.2 million products as part of its 103-country Operation Pangea IX to crack down on the black health market.
Researcher: 'Lutein could be more important than vitamin C.'
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is investing £1.7m (€2.16m) in a multi-centre intervention study to determine whether iron supplement injections could ease the disabling symptoms of heart failure.
The first clinical study testing medical nutrition therapy as a treatment for gestational diabetes has yielded positive results for Swedish biotech firm Indevex, demonstrating that its patented ‘Preload’ macro-nutrient blend is effective in controlling...
Nestlé and Imperial College London (ICL) are kicking off their new nutritional science partnership by investigating how fibre consumption can improve metabolic health, mental performance and digestive health in seniors.
Chicago will witness the biggest ever meeting of experts from the global pre- and probiotics industry, running today (May 31) until Thursday (June 2). The combined IPA World Congress and Probiota Americas event will unite more than 270 academics, business...
The global omega-3 finished product market was worth €28 billion in 2015 and is set for pan-sector growth in the coming years to add €5bn by 2018, despite sustainability and scientific challenges.
Respected British medical journal The Lancet says global infant formula marketing regulations need tightening – including a complete ban on social media channels.
The Italian advertising standards body has pulled up Forsamax, a supplement for treating erectile dysfunction, for misleading advertising - providing further proof that the European Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (NHCR) has no weight in Italy,...
European authorities and food supplement companies now have access to next generation DNA test methods that can establish whether supplements actually contain the botanical ingredients declared on the label, as NSF International rolls out its supplement...
CoQ10 leader Kaneka has re-worked its Ubiquinol branded CoQ10 heart, immunity, skin and energy nutrient in response to it “increasingly being imitated by fake products of inferior quality.”
The Spanish firm Biosearch Life has filed for a health claim linking a probiotic strain with the reduced risk of painful inflammation of the breast during breastfeeding.
A leading probiotics academic has called for EFSA to be “disbanded” saying that the effect of the EU’s central food science agency’s treatment of probiotic claims has been “confusion in Europe”, and that the EU could learn from the Canadian approach to...
The market for male libido supplements dwarfs that for women – but positioning products as healthy ageing supplements may help shake the sleaze from this niche segment, says one bawdy botanical supplier.
Energy & fibre intakes far below recommended levels
The rapidly-growing age segment of over-85s has been neglected in both nutrition research and dietary recommendations, say UK researchers behind a large-scale trail-blazing study.
A 40-centime probiotic powder sachet project that is permitting people to make 100 litres of nutrient-rich probiotic yoghurt or milk is boosting infant and child nutrition across sub-Saharan Africa, and has received fresh financial backing to bring it...
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has opened its first large-scale crowdsourcing platform in an attempt to democratise policy making for its ‘new vision’ for 12 health professionals.
Are you looking to explore the Asian market for new business opportunities? Food Vision Asia is looking for individuals who are interested in forming a delegation to represent Europe’s trade interests, and form new commercial relationships within Asia’s...
Chief financial officer (CFO) for ingredients giant Chr Hansen says there has been a downturn in use of probiotics in yoghurts over the last five years due to the EU’s ban on the term – but food supplements are weathering the storm.
'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.' Nice idea, one uttered by Greek doctor Hippocrates centuries ago, but best not mention it at the next Tesco future investments pow-wow. It seems the mainstreaming of nutrition is an idea whose...
Political neutrality, besieged communities and an escalating amount of mouths to feed. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has a lot to contend with if it is to reach the two million children and mothers it intends to with nutrition products this...
The EU’s central science agency last week published draft recommendations for vitamin D intakes – 15 micrograms (µg) a day for adults – a level drawing some criticism for being too low. Others say supplement sales will rise.
Over half of so-called 100% natural botanical slimming supplements are adulterated with unlabelled pharmaceuticals, according to French tests of 164 products.
Prestigious Award Ceremony, Geneva, Switzerland, May 11, 2016
More than 120 high-quality entries made choosing finalists difficult but our crack judging panel have done it, and 33 stand-out products and ingredients have made the final cut in the second NutraIngredients Awards.
Souvenaid, the high-dose omega-3 based medical drink Danone-Nutricia launched three years ago, can help pre-dementia sufferers, a 2-year clinical trial has found.
The European Commission (EC) has issued a draft that seeks to revoke the medical device status of proanthocyanidin (PAC)-based cranberry products for treatment and prevention of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI).
Fresh safety warnings from the Belgian and German authorities highlight the need for member state compromise on the classification of monacolin K from red yeast rice, a consumer group says.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) says the nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) could be applied to “commercial communications” intended for professionals but with the goal of indirectly reaching consumers.
France-based PiLeJe Group has paid an undisclosed sum for 30-year-old Swiss probiotics company Phytolis – its fourth European probiotic purchase in recent years.
The Welsh Trading Standards has handed out thousands of pounds in fines and a 26-week suspended prison sentence to a business selling pharma- and health claim- laden supplements.
The world’s population is ageing and people want to be healthy, longer – but can foods, drinks and supplements help? Our free online event tackles this multi-billion question from multiple angles, tapping key markets like Japan and gathering experts across...
A paradigm shift is needed to force delicate women’s health issues like vaginal infections and discharge out into the open, says industry microbiologist.
MHRA: “An un-level playing ground is caused by the players, not by the referee.”
UK food supplements firms say their businesses are being threatened by imports containing banned ingredients like GABA – and that regulators need to do more to police the market and protect those that play by the rules.