‘I’m off to save prostates’: POM goes on offensive with new ads post FTC ruling

24-May-2012 - POM Wonderful has gone on the offensive following a ruling on its legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from an administrative law judge (ALJ) with a bold series of new ads selectively quoting from his 335-page initial decision.

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.

Animal welfare group slams EU organics verdict

24-May-2012 - Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) has criticised the decision to recognise US organic food standards as equivalent to those in the EU.

Attorney: POM ruling is a 'stunning rejection' of FTC's stance on 'gold standard' clinical trials to support product claims

22-May-2012 - While POM Wonderful does not emerge from Michael Chappell’s 335-page ruling smelling entirely of roses , it has successfully challenged the accepted wisdom that firms can only make claims about food or supplements if they are backed at least two ‘gold standard’ human trials, say lawyers.

Dispatches from the UNPA 20th anniversary celebration, Salt Lake City

Is it time to move beyond conventional ‘vs’ natural medicine?

21-May-2012 - While many doctors remain suspicious of ‘natural’ medicine, a growing number now accept that there are compelling alternatives to leading drugs that are supported by just as much scientific evidence, without the nasty side effects, says one leading player in integrative medicine.

Both sides claim victory as judge rules in FTC v POM false advertising case

21-May-2012 - Both sides have claimed victory in a bitter legal dispute between Californian juice maker POM Wonderful and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations of false advertising.

Abbott Nutrition: ‘Cognition research is one of our top global priorities’

21-May-2012 - The first research projects to emerge from a tie-up between Abbott and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will advance our understanding of the relationship between diet and cognition - and help Abbott create the next generation of brain foods targeting consumers at every life stage - claims the healthcare giant.

FDA warns of sexual enhancement products and sends yet more letters for GMP violations

18-May-2012 - Another week, another batch of warning letters from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Warning letters for current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) violations continue, and the agency has warned consumers against three sexual enhancement products for containing undeclared drug ingredients.

Yakult unveils US volume surge as good bacteria message gathers pace

16-May-2012 - US consumers now drink around 142,000 bottles of Yakult's probiotic fermented dairy drink a day, 24% more than they were gulping down this time last year.*

Website claims and GMP violations continue to dominate FDA warning letters

11-May-2012 - The most recent batch of warning letters from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) show that the agency continues to monitor closely claims on websites, and GMP violations need to be resolved by actions, not words.

‘Cobiotics’ firm launches mission to defuse ticking time bomb of prediabetes

09-May-2012 - Targeting the 79m adults in the US with prediabetes represents a “significant untapped opportunity” in the foods and supplements market, says the firm behind a new ‘cobiotic’ ingredient claimed to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels - and a healthy weight.

DMAA fallout: 'The industry is always on the lookout for the next big stimulant', says All American EFX boss

07-May-2012 - With the road ahead now appearing closed - or at least decidedly rocky - for pre-workout stimulant DMAA (1,3-Dimethylamylamine), attention is turning to alternatives. But could they be just as controversial?

Attorney: Revised green tea health claim another ‘value laden subjective judgment’ from FDA

07-May-2012 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has drafted revised wording for a qualified health claim about green tea and breast/prostate cancer after being taken to task by a judge in Connecticut over the wording of its previous efforts.

‘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.

Oral supplements just one tool in armory vs sun damage, says new market entrant

23-Apr-2012 - While it would be irresponsible to suggest you can pop some pills and spend all day in intense sunlight without damaging your skin, there is a growing market for supplements that can protect skin from ‘incidental’ exposure to sunlight, says one new entrant to the nutri-cosmetics market.

The father of nutraceuticals: “The placebo effect is real”

20-Apr-2012 - Veteran researcher Dr Stephen de Felice invented the term ‘nutraceutical’ in 1989 and ever since he has been imploring the sector to design and conduct better human clinical trials to back the medicinal potential of bodily nutritional interventions.

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.

Chr Hansen shares jump 9% on strong H1 profits

19-Apr-2012 - First half EBIT profits for 2011-12 surged 19% to €83m at Chr Hansen as it shrugged off the effects of severe fluctuations in the price of red colorant carmine, and ongoing probiotic health claim uncertainty in Europe – its biggest yet most stagnant market.

60-second interview, Stuart Tomc, Nordic Naturals

Are you getting enough omega-3? ‘Stop guessing and start testing’

16-Apr-2012 - Elaine Watson caught up with Stuart Tomc, global educator at omega-3 expert Nordic Naturals at Expo West to get the lowdown on omega-3s.

RCTs, health claims, and common sense deficiency syndrome (CSDS)

16-Apr-2012 - Continuing to insist on data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to validate the health benefits of nutrients will lead to “stagnation” in the field of nutritional research, leading researchers have warned.

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.

Biothera: ‘Using vitamins and minerals alone to support immune claims is not enough’

13-Apr-2012 - US food and beverage manufacturers have not been put off making immunity claims despite the fact that they have plunged several big brands into legal hot water, according to immune health expert Biothera.

First food products featuring novel saffron-based satiety ingredient set for Q3 launch

11-Apr-2012 - The first food and beverage products to feature Satiereal – a novel weight management ingredient from the flowers of saffron stigma,Crocus sativus L– could hit the US market in the third quarter of this year.