The Amercan Botanical Council has announced that Vitatech Nutritional Sciences, a California-based vitamin and supplement formulation company, has adopted cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) through ABC's Adopt-an-Herb Program.
With more than half of consumers in developed countries over the age of 14 now classified as overweight or obese, and obesity rates in China and India expected to double by 2020, global interest in weight management products “will likely remain high for...
FDA’s recently updated draft guidance on medical foods specifically excluded diabetes as a condition for which a medical food can be formulated and marketed. As there are a number of such foods on the market, this change has been greeted with some consternation...
Herbal dietary supplement sales increased 5.5% in the United States in 2012 according a new report in HerbalGram, the publication of the American Botanical Council.
The money pouring into biofuels research has buoyed the algae sector and helped companies get off the ground with technology development and initial facility buildout. But translating that expertise in growing algae at something approaching commercial...
Mannatech Inc., a Texas-based supplement manufacturer, announced the granting of its 90th patent, with the granting of five new patents in 2013 relating to the company’s product portfolio.
The International Probiotics Association has identified several issues with the design of a recently published study finding no effect of probiotics on antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD) or Clostridium difficile diarrhea (CDD). These issues could call...
The Food and Drug Administration has given additional clarification to a ill-defined subcategory of foods by issuing a revised draft guidance on medical foods. The new version clarifies some issues surrounding branding and marketing, and in so doing,...
MusclePharm Corporation, a Denver, CO-based manufacturer of sports nutrition products, continued its meteoric rise by posting a 51% rise in net sales in the second quarter of 2013.
The second paper from researchers at Pew Health published this month to argue that the system governing the safety of food additives is deeply flawed, fails to provide any evidence that it has allowed harmful substances to ‘slip through the net’, say...
Stevia supplier GLG Lifetech is working with China’s largest food company - state-owned COFCO (China National Cereals, Oils, and Foodstuffs Corporation) - on three major healthy food and beverage formulation projects.
The FDA’s decision to give the thumbs up to spirulina as a source of blue color in candy and gum finally gives US firms a natural alternative to artificial FD&C Blue #1 ('brilliant blue') and opens up new opportunities in natural greens,...
Investment and acquisition trends in the health & wellness industry in 2013 are on a pace to match 2012, according to a report by Nutrition Capital Network (NCN).
Finnish ag-ingredients-branded foods player Raisio has turned in its best ever quarter and said a focus on emerging markets is driving ongoing sales growth in the sluggish plant stanol, cholesterol reduction category.
“The most common mistake by western fast moving consumer good (FMCG) companies who launch new food and beverage brands in emerging markets is that they jump straight in to a Pleasure position with their brands.”
Given that one in three American adults is expected to develop type 2 diabetes by 2050, foods and supplements targeting pre-diabetics and type 2 diabetics would appear to have enormous potential. So why isn’t the ‘healthy blood glucose’ market exploding?
A recent workshop sponsored by the Institute of Medicine on caffeine and its effect in consumer products such as energy drinks was helpful in making clear the points of view of the various stakeholders, according to observers. What was less clear was...
Sales of organic products rose 13% to $11.2bn in the year to July 6 in the US retail market, with the highest growth found in shelf-stable meats, poultry and seafood (+61%); followed by baby food (+34%); and shelf-stable functional beverages (+33%); according...
The American Botanical Council hit a milestone with the 30th anniversary of its quarterly publication, HerbalGram. The publication, which began life as a simple newsletter, has now transformed into an 80-page, full color magazine/journal hybrid featuring...
Cyanotech, which started as a supplier of algae-based ingredients, continues its transformation into more of a consumer products company. Total net sales grew 6% in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, but Nutrex, the consumer products division, grew by...
Soaring whey prices are changing the face of the protein concentrate market, but hefty Asian-driven premiums won’t signal a flood to plant proteins, says an analyst.
A breakthrough in the understanding of the molecular pathways involved in the production of vitamin B12 may offer promise for better production efficiency, say researchers.
Japanese nutrient ingredients company Hosoda will now sell its Melinjo Resveratrol line internationally. The product, which is produced at Hosoda’s new extraction plant in Java, has been available on the market in Japan for several years, and will now...
Star Scientific, which markets the anitoxidant supplement Anatabloc, has reported third quarter earnings of $2.5 million, compared with $1.4 for the same period in 2012. The positive earnings was welcome news for a company that in recent months has seen...
Algae producer Solazyme has reached a critical commercial waypoint with the launch of its algal protein ingredient in Twinlab’s new CleanSeries Veggie Protein Powder. And Twinlab gets a vital differentiator in the increasingly competitive vegetable protein...
A firm co-founded by Whole Foods Market chairman John Elstrott is in talks with top consumer healthcare firms about developing medical foods containing a novel ingredient claimed to improve blood glucose control and metabolic function in pre-diabetics...
Mastix Medica, a specialty manufacturer of dietary supplements and functional foods, has introduced RenaGum, the first product of its kind that helps patients with chronic kidney disease manage the phosphate levels in their systems.
Continuing its move toward human nutrition markets has helped Omega Protein deal with a fluctuating supply situation which has seen a lower than average fish catch this year.
Singapore and Korea-based researchers have developed a caffeine detector and a detection kit that glows like a traffic light to indicate caffeine levels in different drinks.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has mailed 10,144 checks to reimburse consumers who bought Disney- or Marvel Hero-themed supplements for kids from NBTY and two subsidiaries under allegedly false pretenses.
Let’s assume you’ve done your homework on your new ingredient and have successfully filed a New Dietary Ingredient notification with the Food and Drug Administration. Can a competitor launching a me-too product come along and trade on that status? It’s...
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc., a major dietary supplements and organic foods retailer, has reported 30.5% sales growth and double digit comparable store sales growth in the third quarter of fiscal 2013.
Direct selling giant Herbalife has passed a milestone by receiving its 25th direct selling license in China. Direct selling activities are closely regulated in China, making the receiving of licenses a key metric for growth in the country.
Probiotic supplements may have no benefit for the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in elderly people, according to new data from the largest study ever to look at the issue.
As Nestlé put a brave face on underwhelming first half results that fell far below market expectations, its Jenny Craig weight management brand was singled out as being one of its worst performing.
Supplements giant NBTY generated modest sales growth in the third quarter of 2013, with strong growth in branded supplements partially offset by a decline in private label and contract manufacturing sales.
WhiteWave Foods has filed a motion to dismiss the latest in a “tsunami of lawsuits” alleging consumers are being misled by the use of the term ‘evaporated cane juice’ (ECJ) to describe dried sugar cane syrup (aka sugar).
A Department of Defense safety review of DMAA has concluded that the ingredient poses potential health risks but could not be causally linked to the deaths of four soldiers who died with the ingredient in their bloodstreams. GNC Holdings, the last brick...
There’s something fishy going on with omega-3s these days, and it appears that some of the consumer media who reported on the study fell for it – hook, line and sinker. Of course I’m talking about the study that recently published in the Journal of the...
Vitamin Shoppe has reported solid sales growth despite posting slower than average comparable store sales figures growth, company officials told analysts when discussing the company’s second quarter 2013 earnings results recently. Bright spots in the...
The food industry can easily restore the levels of health beneficial compounds in frozen broccoli by modifying its blanching and freezing processes, according to new research.
