News in brief

'Cobiotics' firm secures $1.5m cash injection to support growth plans

24-May-2012 - NuMe Health - the New Orleans-based firm behind NM504, a novel ‘cobiotic’ ingredient targeting prediabetics - has secured a $1.5m cash injection to support plans to commercialize it.

DMAA latest: 14 class action suits now filed by CA law firm - but speed may not be of the essence, predicts expert

04-May-2012 - The law firm responsible for the flurry of class action lawsuits against 10 firms named by the FDA in its DMAA crackdown last week has now targeted four other firms selling products containing the stimulant.

Comment

Is the game up for DMAA? Why the FDA crackdown raises more questions than answers…

03-May-2012 - They’ve had the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads for months. So when 10 firms selling DMAA supplements were finally told to put up or shut up by the FDA last week, it looked like the game might finally be up for the controversial stimulant.

Is the DMAA crackdown an enforcement of the NDI draft guidance?

02-May-2012 - In warning letters sent as part of its recent crackdown on DMAA , the FDA says “synthetically produced DMAA is not a dietary ingredient and, therefore, is not eligible to be used as an active ingredient in a dietary supplement”.

FDA DMAA crackdown prompts fresh wave of class action lawsuits

01-May-2012 - UPDATED May 3 - All 10 recipients of FDA warning letters over supplements containing DMAA (1,3-Dimethylamylamine) have now been targeted in a new wave of class action lawsuits in California alleging their products contain DMAA in a synthetic form that is “illegal and dangerous”.

‘Exceptional’ new salt-enhancer discontinued as ex-Firmenich execs exit Horphag

26-Apr-2012 - Horphag Research has parted company with the executives it brought in to run its new functional foods and beverages division Horphag Research Nutrition (HRN) and discontinued Salty-R, the first product to emerge from it.

Novel plant blend could be a game changer in fight vs metabolic syndrome, claim inventors

25-Apr-2012 - Florida-based ATM Metabolics is in advanced negotiations with some of the biggest food and beverage brands in the US and Europe about incorporating Emulin - the insulin-mimicking active ingredient in GNC’s top-selling glucose control supplement GC7X - into packaged foods and drinks.

Biotech firm launches bid to turn L-Ergothioneine into household name as ‘EGT’

20-Apr-2012 - Energy drinks and foods, eye health supplements and skin creams are just some of the products likely to emerge from an LA-based firm on a mission to turn L-Ergothioneine – an antioxidant it claims has “unparalleled” benefits – into a household name.

Moringa just the tip of the iceberg, says African ingredients specialist

13-Apr-2012 - If high-profile ingredients such as baobab and Moringa oleifera really take off in the next couple of years, Africa could finally start to get the attention it deserves as a source of top-flight nutraceuticals, according to one supplier.

Superfood alert: Could Moringa oleifera be the next baobab?

13-Apr-2012 - A nutrient powerhouse to rival baobab, Moringa oleifera is starting to attract growing interest in the US dietary supplement and food industry, with a segment due to air on Dr Oz tonight predicted to prompt a surge in demand.

Big interview, Adolf Joubert, CEO Afrinatural

When will African ingredients get the attention they deserve?

08-Mar-2012 - Africa has a wealth of indigenous plant species, but has not been as successful as India and China at commercializing them as nutraceuticals, one South African firm trying to spread the word about the continent’s natural ingredients tells Elaine Watson

Dispatches from Nutracon, Anaheim

Relaxation drink warning letter a warning shot across beverage industry, say attorneys

08-Mar-2012 - The FDA’s warning letter to the maker of melatonin-laced Slowtivate Relaxation Drink has reignited the debate over the legal line between liquid dietary supplements and conventional beverages - and should make some firms very nervous - say lawyers.

News in brief

Norwegian firm applies for EU novel foods status for shrimp oil

23-Feb-2012 - Norwegian firm Calanus AS has applied to the UK Food Standards Agency for European Union novel foods approval to market an omega-3 oil derived from the miniature North Atlantic Ocean shrimp, Calanus finmarchicus.

GNC, Cellucor and Woodbolt targeted in new DMAA lawsuit

22-Feb-2012 - GNC, Cellucor Sports Nutrition and others have been accused of misleading consumers over the source, regulatory status and safety of the controversial stimulant DMAA (1,3 Dimethylamylamine) in a new class action lawsuit filed in California.

AHA GRAS attack reaction: Why self-affirmed GRAS is not ‘GRAS lite’

21-Feb-2012 - Experts in helping firms navigate the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) process say the American Heart Association (AHA) made some valid points in its recent attack on GRAS, but argue the system is actually working pretty well.

Self-affirmed GRAS under fire as AHA steps up sodium reduction campaign

16-Feb-2012 - There are serious weaknesses in the system that allows firms to self-affirm the safety of foods without the approval or knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

Martek/DSM ‘fishless fish oil’ gains momentum as firms seek EPA and DHA … minus the fish

15-Feb-2012 - Martek’s new algal EPA/DHA blend - the ‘fishless fish oil’ - is gaining momentum in the market with recent launches including Schiff’s MegaRed Plant-Omega supplements and Darigold Omega-3 2% milk.

UNPA: We agree with AHPA on DMAA labeling

10-Jan-2012 - The United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) says it agrees with the AHPA that supplement makers should not label the stimulant DMAA (1,3-Dimethylamylamine) as geranium oil or as any part of the geranium plant.

CRN UK on DMAA: “The law is clear. DMAA is illegal in the EU and should be stripped from shelves”

09-Jan-2012 - Trade in sports products containing the controversial stimulant DMAA (methylhexaneamine/1,3-dimethylamylamine) is illegal in the European Union, and should be brought to an immediate halt by EU and member state authorities, according to the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) UK.

GNC: There is no scientific evidence to prove causal link between DMAA and AERs

06-Jan-2012 - GNC has weighed into the debate over the stimulant DMAA (1,3-Dimethylamylamine) following the recall of DMAA-containing products from stores on military bases while the Department of Defense conducts a probe into its safety.

FDA will 'consider whether regulatory action is warranted on DMAA'

22-Dec-2011 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has weighed into the debate over the stimulant DMAA (1,3-Dimethylamylamine, also known as methylhexaneamine or MHA), which has garnered more bad press in recent weeks.

Fabricant on NDI draft guidance: Thanks for your 146,000 pages of comments. We’ll get back to you…

22-Dec-2011 - Those hoping the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing for a major climb down on its draft guidance on new dietary ingredients (NDIs) will draw little comfort from comments made by the agency's supplements chief yesterday.

ABC: Solvents white paper could help inform NDI debate

21-Dec-2011 - An authoritative new guide to 23+solvents used in the production of botanical extracts for dietary ingredients could help inform the debate on ‘chemical alteration’ at the heart of the FDA’s draft guidance on new dietary ingredients (NDIs), says the American Botanical Council (ABC).

Jarrow Formulas FOIA request on NDIs: ‘In sum, FDA has told us to drop dead’

28-Nov-2011 - Jarrow Formulas is still waiting for a “substantive response” from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request submitted more than two months ago about the FDA’s draft guidance on New Dietary Ingredients (NDIs).