Supplement tests find ‘problems’ with one third of products

16-Apr-2009 - A recent ConsumerLab report that found “problems” with over 30 percent of vitamins, has already generated negative reports in mainstream media, renewing calls for vitamins to be avoided where possible.

NPA releases chondroitin quality results from Chinese testing program

10-Apr-2009 - The Natural Products Association (NPA) has added a Chinese chondroitin manufacturer to its list of suppliers that undergo the group’s ingredient purity and quality testing in China.

Water is to blame for perchlorate in infant formula, says industry

07-Apr-2009 - Two brands of infant formula – which make up almost 90 percent of the US market – were found to have the highest levels of contamination with the chemical perchlorate by a recent government study, but the industry has dismissed the findings on the basis that detected levels were too low to do any harm.

Guest article

What Obama means for functional foods and supplements: Part II

20-Mar-2009 -  The second article in a series examining the impact of a new Congress on the functional food and supplements industries takes a close look at the new FDA Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner. According to industry veteran Loren Israelsen, we should expect to see more focus on quality, efficacy – and nanotechnology.

USDA says American ginseng must be COOL

16-Mar-2009 -   All ginseng entering the US market is now required to be labeled with its country of origin after a US Department of Agriculture final rule kicked in today.

Dispatches from Expo West

CRN: GMP blind spots remain

12-Mar-2009 - The staggered implementation of America’s controversial GMP rules is underway and due for completion in June, 2010. For the Council for Responsible Nutrition’s VP of regulatory and scientific affairs, Andrew Shao, PhD, the bill may be progressing but much remains to be resolved.

Dispatches from Expo West

Israelsen: 'You wouldn’t know there is a recession'

11-Mar-2009 - At Expo West recently, Shane Starling sat down with industry stalwart, Loren Israelsen, to discuss the Obama effect, Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, the “flyspeck” that is the Dietary Supplements and Health Education Act (DSHEA), GMPs, oh, and the economic situation.

Dispatches from Expo West

FDA: we will enforce GMPs

10-Mar-2009 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been criticized for not enforcing Good Manufacturing Practises, but according to the FDA’s Brad Williams, boosted funding means FDA inspectors may be about to “saturate the field”. He spoke with Shane Starling at Expo West.

GAO supplements report generates mixed response

04-Mar-2009 - Consumer activists claim a GAO report on the oversight of dietary supplements confirms that regulatory loopholes plague the industry, while trade bodies say the report makes unrealistic recommendations to improve regulation of the products.

GAO supplements report calls for tighter regulation

03-Mar-2009 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made significant progress in regulating dietary supplements, but the agency is still lacking basic information to keep the products – and consumes – safe, according to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).

FDA warns against Venom sibutramine supplements

16-Feb-2009 -   The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the US public against a weight loss dietary supplement called Venom Hyperdrive 3.0 because it contains the banned pharmaceutical ingredient, sibutramine.

NIST develops multivitamin reference for GMP compliance

12-Feb-2009 - A new reference material for assessing the amounts of vitamins, carotenoids, and trace elements in dietary supplements has been developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

AHPA publishes heavy metals GMP guidance

21-Jan-2009 - The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has published a heavy metals white paper it says will assist industry to comply with current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP).

GMP inspections could focus on Utah, California

20-Jan-2009 - The focus of FDA’s GMP inspections of dietary supplement manufacturing facilities will likely take a short-term focus on the Utah area and Southern California, according to inside sources.

Irradiation, EtO not permitted for supplement sterilization, clarifies BI

19-Jan-2009 - Botanical ingredients supplier BI Nutraceuticals has sent its customers a clarification of current US regulations that prohibit the use of irradiation and ethylene oxide (EtO) as a means to sterilize supplement ingredients.

Nanotech in supplements unsafe, says report

16-Jan-2009 - The use of nanotechnology in dietary supplements is badly understood and largely unregulated, and could be putting consumers at serious risk, claims a new report.

Robinson Pharma audit confirms cGMP compliance

13-Jan-2009 - Robinson Pharma Inc (RPI), a dietary supplement contract manufacturer, has said its latest quality audit has confirmed continued cGMP compliant operations.

FDA finds 70 fraudulent weight loss supplements

12-Jan-2009 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified its clamp-down on adulterated weight loss supplement products, which have been found to contain undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients.

NPA defends supplements from recent steroid accusations

09-Jan-2009 - The general public should not be misled to believe that supplement products are dangerous or illegal by athletes’ uninformed usage of the products, and by irresponsible media coverage, according to a US supplements group.

ConsumerLab finds contamination, low dosage in zinc tablets

10-Dec-2008 - Zinc supplements are the latest target by testing body ConsumerLab, which found that many of these did not contain significant dosages to help with the common cold.

FDA issues new guidance on AER labeling

09-Dec-2008 - FDA has issued another draft guidance document on the labeling of dietary supplements to facilitate adverse event reporting, despite earlier calls from industry that the guidance should be withdrawn.

Supplements blamed for NFL doping

05-Dec-2008 - Dietary supplements have again been blamed for athletes not passing anti-doping tests, after six National Football League players were suspended this week.

US infant formula safe from melamine, says FDA

01-Dec-2008 - The domestic supply of infant formula in the United States is safe for consumption, the FDA has said following an investigation into contamination with the industrial chemical melamine.

BI ups steam sterilization as irradiation alternative

19-Nov-2008 - Ingredient supplier BI Nutraceuticals has expanded its steam sterilization capacity, which the firm says will allow it to sterilize more than 15,000 metric tons of herbal botanical, spice and food ingredients annually.