One of the most highly praised nutraceuticals of the decade – açai – has “insufficient and unconvincing scientific evidence” to promote it as an exceptional health supplement, according to a new review.
The maker of a caramel snack making ‘calcium inside’-type claims has been given 15 days to amend its labeling by the Food and Drug Administration because of the product’s unsatisfactory overall nutrient profile.
Major kefir manufacturer Lifeway Foods is the latest company to feel the wrath of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for making unsubstantiated drug claims.
The FDA has issued a warning letter to Florida-based dietary supplement manufacturer Abba Pharma over manufacturing, packaging and labeling violations.
Last week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denied a petition that sought to have a synthetically manufactured algae extract called homotaurine classified as a new dietary ingredient (NDI).
The Global Organization for EPA and DHA (GOED) has announced its second board expansion within a year with EPAX’s Baldur Hjaltason (pictured) moving from vice-chair to chair to replace Croda’s David Shannon, while DSM Nutritional Products’ Amanda Ruess...
Welch’s will pay $30m to consumers misled by labeling for its ‘100% Juice White Grape Pomegranate’ after settling class actions in a California court this month. Welch’s has responded to another class action in a Florida court that is yet to be resolved.
US probiotics leader Dannon appears to have weathered recent class action and Federal Trade Commission (FTC)-led storms that forced it to alter gut health claims for its spoonable and drinkable yogurt, Activia, with sales rising 16 percent in 2010.
A recently completed documentary about probiotics is being welcomed by the probiotics community with Danisco, the world’s biggest probiotics supplier saying it provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the microorganisms among the medical fraternity.
In part four of this NutraIngredients heart health special we look at how regulators view those foods, drinks and supplements making cardiovascular claims
The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has backed brain claims for a dietary supplement based on studies focused on Alzheimer’s disease.
“You gotta do what you gotta do,” an exhausted Cathy Keys told NutraIngredients-USA today after spending the best part of two months completely renovating her family-run online supplements business, NutriHerb.net, after receiving an FDA warning letter...
A consumer class action lawsuit has been filed against Ferrero USA in a San Diego federal court, accusing it of falsely portraying Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread as part of a nutritious breakfast for children.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is likely to aggressively pursue immunity claims being made by Coca-Cola Vitaminwater after it was called on to investigate them by the Washington DC-based National Consumers League (NCL) this week, a food law attorney...
The US dietary supplements industry has welcomed the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans which demonstrated a thawing in attitude toward supplements use from a Guidelines committee that has previously baulked at recommending them.
The Food and Drug Administration has affirmed the principal that references to scientific studies can amount to drug claims under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).
In the second part of this special series on global outsourcing trends NutraIngredients explores how the European Union nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) is impacting activity in the contract research organisation (CRO) sector.
A vitamin D qualified health claim will soon be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration even as concerns grow about the recent vitamin D scientific update issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
2010 saw the first warning letters from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for supplement Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) violations, but the overall numbers were down on 2009 levels. FDA legal specialists Ivan Wasserman and La Toya Sutton look...
The FDA needs to provide better industry guidance on how to avoid making potentially misleading health claims on food labels, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Californian-based pomegranate juice leader POM Wonderful has filed a motion in a Washington DC District Court urging a ruling on its September action against Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claims policing policies.
Industry is calling on the FDA to extend the compliance period to proposed changes the agency is making for a phytosterol-based coronary heart disease (CHD)-lowering health claim that will broaden it beyond esterified forms to include free sterol and...
The Kellogg Company will pay $5m to consumers misled by children’s immunity claims for its Rice Krispies breakfast cereal, after agreeing terms in an amalgamated class action in a California court.
Supplements containing a mix of probiotic bacteria and prebiotic fibers reduced the prevalence of asthma-like symptoms in children at risk of the condition, says a new study from the Netherlands.
About 400,000 cartons of alcoholic energy drinks have been destroyed as part of an ongoing Food and Drug Administration crack-down on the controversial beverages.
2010 saw a flurry of enforcement activity by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) based on claims made for dietary supplement and functional food products. There is no indication that 2011 will be any different.
Global pomegranate juice leader POM Wonderful has spent a large part of 2010 locking horns with the Federal Trade Commission over health claims for its juices and dietary supplements.
High-profile omega-3 product withdrawals or underperforming products do not signal a crisis in the category, rather an acknowledgement of its nascent status, industry figures have said.
It’s been a bad year for good bacteria: A raft of negative health claims opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has left many in the industry predicting trouble ahead for probiotics and prebiotics in Europe. But Professor Tine Rask Licht,...
Dannon says its year-long negotiations with the Federal Trade Commission that resulted in a $21m settlement and modifications placed on its health statements, has not altered the core claims for its multi-million dollar selling probiotic yoghurts.
NBTY has settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over DHA-based brain and eye children’s health claims it has been making for some its Disney-branded dietary supplements.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to expand the variety of foods enriched with phytosterols that can carry a health claim linking the ingredients to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).
Should the FDA work to be more like EFSA? Speaking at the NutraIngredients Health Claims 2010 conference Andrew Shao said the two organisations are already very similar in the way they review scientific claims.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says it has not set any new claim substantiation “rules” in a new court action against California-based pomegranate player, POM Wonderful.
A former Health Canada official has criticized the agency for failing to publish health claim-backing data, after recently approving an oat fiber-cholesterol health claim.
The Kellogg Company will pay consumers up to $2.75m over misleading kids’ attention claims for its Frosted Mini-Wheats cereals, after a federal judge reached a class action settlement.
Increasing regulatory pressure around the globe is focusing attention on supporting the efficacy of ingredients and products. Dr Jay Udani, CEO of Medicus Research, gave us his 5 secrets for clinical trials success.
The legal counsel who represented Durk Pearson, Sandy Shaw and others in the recent case that forced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to alter three approved selenium health claims, says his clients and others will use the claims.
Pomegranate leader POM Wonderful and Pepsi-owned Tropicana – locked in a legal battle over juice claims – have been asked to submit comments about the complaint lodged against POM by the Federal Trade Commission last month.
The Food and Drug Administration has revised three selenium, qualified health claims, after a court reiterated earlier rulings and ordered it to do so in July.
The Federal Trade Commission legal action alleging POM Wonderful made unsubstantiated claims for its pomegranate products, adds to a stream of claim actions the increasingly active agency has taken this year.
An Ohio court has found that a Procter & Gamble, vitamin C-pharma combination cold and flu product was not marketed misleadingly under state law, despite the presence of an FDA warning letter that said the contrary.
In the first part of this Asia-focused special edition, we look to the innovation hotbed that is Japan. Japan is well known as the world’s functional foods birthplace when Yakult kicked into life there in the 1950s with its little bottles of immune boosting,...
A class action has been lodged in a Florida state court alleging POM Wonderful misled consumers with at least six different health claims, as the Californian pomegranate pioneer’s legal battles multiply.
Pom Wonderful is suing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over new marketing standards of proof the Californian pomegranate leader says are damaging its brand equity.
A coffee product claiming to assist erectile dysfunction has been deemed an unapproved drug by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to the presence of hydroxythiohomosildenafil, an analogue of sildenafil, used in the sexual aid Viagra.
The Food and Drug Administration has told Unilever Americas that claims for a Lipton green tea product – mostly references to flavonoid studies on Lipton websites – amount to drug claims and must be amended or removed.
The FDA is too lenient regarding health claims and should follow EFSA’s lead and hold foods “to the same scientific standards as those for drugs”, according to the editors of Scientific American.