Enforced consumption of folic acid introduces adverse health risks to a wider population and flour millers and bakers may be legally liable for health claims resulting from mandatory folic acid fortification, claims one of the leaders of the Australian...
Insufficient inspection numbers, unclear ingredient identity testing and supplier audit requirements to meet Good Manufacturing Processes (GMPs), are some of the problems blighting the recently introduced regulation, says a Californian-based supplier.
CRN’s annual symposium has heard how the industry needs to better fight its corner when faced with the threat of product contamination, but was benefitting from challenging economic times.
The FDA and DEA should exercise greater muscle in cracking down on products containing steroids and other contaminants, according to a Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) response to a Senate sub-committee on the topic.
Senator Arlen Specter put forward the idea of premarket government approval for dietary supplements at a senate hearing yesterday on hidden steroids in body building products.
Supplement industry stalwarts and critics are preparing to trade blows today at a senate committee hearing on hidden steroids in body building products.
Dietary supplements are again the focus of attention in recent articles published in The Wall Street Journal and New York Times – and once more the products are portrayed in a less than flattering light.
The market-leading weight loss supplement Hydroxycut has been reformulated and re-launched in the United States, just months after being recalled for potentially causing liver damage.
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is calling for more stringent testing methods and definitions to combat the growing problem of economically motivated adulteration (EMA) of dietary supplements.
Dietary supplement trade groups have said they will ensure their members meet new labeling requirements to include a full address or telephone number, but have suggested that they are under no legal obligation to add any other ‘signal language’ to their...
The US Food and Drug Administration has again updated its guidance for the labeling of dietary supplements, and continues to ‘recommend’ the inclusion of manufacturer contact details for adverse event reporting.
A group of zeaxanthin suppliers have united to form the Zeaxanthin Trade Association to increase global awareness of the eye health nutrient and adopt quality standards.
Missouri-based National Enzyme Company (NEC) has passed an extensive Good Manufacturing Practices audit of its Australian operations by the regulator there and can continue to market its ingredients and dietary supplements.
A consumer health bulletin sent out this month by the Mayo Clinic warns Americans of possible health risks related to the use of herbal dietary supplements.
A US District Court has ruled against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and in favor of a supplements firm, in a landmark case that found FTC’s criticism of the company’s advertising was simply a “difference of opinion”.
The Food and Drug Administration is being sued over its controversial and much-amended GMP regulations on the grounds the 1000-page rule is “ambiguous where it should be clear”, according to the attorney mounting the action.
A notice detailing the new process for issuing warning letters to food companies that violate safety regulations has been published in the Federal Register, with the program due to begin on September 15.
It looks like the FDA has finally got some muscle. Never mind new legislation – if anything can prevent America acquiring a weedy reputation for food safety, it’s the might of Dr Margaret Hamburg.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should expand its definition of economically motivated adulteration (EMA), says the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA).
At the APEC meeting in Singapore, Robert Brackett of the GMA has applauded the founding of a food safety training network, just days after the organization praised the House for passing a landmark food safety bill.
The US House of Representatives passed a food safety bill on Thursday that promises far-reaching reform of how food is processed and grown, intended to boost food safety and consumer confidence.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a public health advisory warning against the use of body building products marketed as supplements but found to contain steroids.
The head of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has called for tighter regulation of sports supplements amid an investigation into steroid products allegedly being distributed to high school children.
New FDA guidance to dietary supplements marketers on the reporting of adverse events has been welcomed by industry as being a “helpful” and “useful” resource.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has clamped down on a number of dietary supplement firms that have repeatedly failed to meet new Good Manufacturing Practices.
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has released its long awaited Dietary Supplements Compendium (DSC), which is designed to help manufacturers comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
Ingredient firm AM Todd Botanicals has applied a voluntary industry standardization tool to some of its key botanical extracts, in an effort to help supplement manufacturers with GMP compliance.
Multivitamins and minerals were the subject of one quarter of Adverse Event Reports (AERs) filed with FDA in the first six months of last year, but this does not mean that this product category is problematic, says the American Herbal Products Association...
The recent Hydroxycut recall has caused a stir and the knives are out once again for the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). But food lawyers Ivan Wasserman and Svetlana Walker argue those that would carve the regulation up are turning...
The failure to diligently enforce the 1994 Dietary Supplements and Health Education Act (DSHEA) is the cause of most of the problems that have drawn a barrage of heavy criticism in the mainstream media, according to the Council for Responsible Nutrition...
The US dietary supplement industry is facing a massive media onslaught after recent recalls of harmful products have placed the sector and the law that regulates it under the spotlight.
Adulteration of food proteins - as seen in the recent melamine scandal - is becoming a greater threat to industry as the food supply has become more globalized and economic crisis drives manufacturers to seek cheaper ingredients, says Jim Griffiths of...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday again shook its iron fist at the dietary supplement industry, ordering the destruction of thousands of bottles of sports supplements that contained unapproved food additives.
The recent recall of top-selling Hydroxycut weight loss products has prompted the – not unexpected – call for a review of regulations governing dietary supplements in the United States.
An editorial published in a reputable journal states that dietary supplements are “nostrums” that are unregulated by FDA and make vague health claims to avoid the need for validation.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken another blow as a US news organization published figures on Thursday showing it is failing to meet its goals for auditing individual states’ food safety inspections.
Immunity is likely to be the next major focus for the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as it closes its fist over fraudulent dietary supplement products, suggests a food and drug lawyer.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated a massive recall of a top-selling American weight loss supplement brand, after a series of adverse event reports indicated that the products could be linked to serious liver damage.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are warning consumers to stay away from supplements that claim to treat or prevent swine flu, and say they will take aggressive action against companies attempting to benefit...
Although all medium-sized dietary supplement manufacturers in the US will be required to meet new GMP regulations as of June this year, FDA has said it is unlikely to start inspections until fall. The agency’s manager of the Division of Dietary Supplements...
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.
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.
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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.
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...
