First up this month: The US Military has begun a clinical trial in Iraq to test if supplementing soldiers’ diets with omega-3 improves their mental health and stress resilience. The research is led by Dr. Daniel Johnston, US Army Lieutenant Colonel and...
The introduction of good manufacturing practices (GMPs) is a boon for contract analytical services, and those with special services to offer are standing out from the crowd.
An investigation by Californian firm Anti-Doping Research has revealed the ease with which illegal steroids can be purchased, with them freely available at Amazon.com.
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...
Setting a specification standard for safe levels of contaminants in omega 3s requires understanding the hazard and correctly measuring exposure in order to assess risk.
NOW Foods has developed a rapid screening test to detect adulterants in dietary supplements, which it hopes will change the perception that dietary supplements are ‘unregulated’.
Freshly issued FDA GMP guidance for small-to-medium sized dietary supplement manufacturers regurgitates a lot of what has already been published in the regulation, but does bring fresh focus to matters such as expiration dates and ingredient supplier...
Long Island-based dietary supplement firm, Hain North America has received a warning letter outlining infringements of Good Management Practice (GMP) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Natural Products Association (NPA) has entered the debate about the analytical methods employed by product tester, ConsumerLab, by calling on the product tester to make its standards and methods more transparent.
In the same week the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced an industry-backed crackdown on spiked weight loss, body building and sexual enhancement products, the agency issued an alert against a sulfoaildenafil-contaminated product called Man...
The dietary supplements industry has backed the Food and Drug Administration in cracking down on products tainted with sibutramine, steroids and other substances.
In the midst of a dispute over valerian product testing standards that has escalated into something far more rancorous, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has called on ConsumerLab.com to seek industry counsel over those very same standards.
The bioavailability of certain vitamins in multivitamin and mineral supplements could be improved by using an amino acid and non-digestible oligosaccharide (AAOS) matrix, according to new research.
A herbal erectile dysfunction (ED) dietary supplement has been voluntary withdrawn from the US market by its Floridian manufacturer after it was alerted to a contamination problem with the unauthorized substance, sildenafil.
New vitamin K2 player Kappa Bioscience will utilize third party tester ChromaDex’s reference standards and analytical methods after signing a global agreement.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed tests to measure the purity of pomegranate juice and juice blends, funded by a $50,000 one-year grant from juice company POM Wonderful.
Illinois-based FutureCeuticals has self-affirmed GRAS status in the US for its line of patented coffee extracts after an assessment by a three-strong independent panel.
India’s Natural Remedies Pvt. Ltd., a supplier of herbal ingredients, has obtained GMP certification from NSF International, with the manufacturing facility reported to be compliant with NSF/ANSI Standard 173, Section 8 Dietary Supplements.
Irradiation has risen in importance as it has become specifically outlawed in new Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations. But the practice continues due to its ability to cheaply remove contaminants from raw materials.
NutraIngredients-USA.com caught up with United States Anti-Doping Agency chief executive officer, Travis Tygart, at the recent SupplySide West trade show in Las Vegas to get an update on USADA’s position on dietary supplements.
In part two of this special interview with the heads of the major US dietary supplement trade groups, the three chiefs unpack the state of play for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) along with adverse event reporting (AERs).
Industry representatives have dismissed media reports that fish oil imports from China threaten the health of US consumers while acknowledging the need for some Chinese producers to improve quality.
Following last Friday’s decision by Abbott Laboratories to pull its sibutramine-containing weight loss drug Meridia due to concerns about side effects, questions are being asked about dietary supplement contamination with the substance.
China’s reputation as an ingredient supplier has suffered from a spate of food safety problems – but the food industry should not paint all China-based companies with the same broad brush, says stevia supplier GLG Life Tech.
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 Food Safety Modernization Bill (S. 510) will bolster safety and quality in the US dietary supplements industry, according to leading trade group the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).
Industry groups say mandatory reporting of non-serious Adverse Event Reports (AERs) will lead to, “an avalanche of trivial information” that may jeopardise public safety and confuse and overwhelm financial markets.
An ongoing Food and Drug Administration investigation into sweetened, dried cranberries could prove key in the legal battle that intensified between cranberry enemies, Ocean Spray and Decas last week.
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) says the Consumer Reports article that this week criticized the dietary supplements industry for being under-regulated and named a “dirty dozen” of supplement ingredients to avoid, is guilty of the kind...
The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on what it describes as an “emerging trend” for dietary supplements to be spiked with prescription drug ingredients.
A dietary supplement trade group has urged the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) not to require adverse event reports from nutritional supplements in its incident reporting system as it will confuse consumers and interfere with existing processes.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) is calling on the FDA to step up to the plate and carry out the inspections necessary to ensure GMP rules are followed.
Small to medium enterprises (SMEs – less than 20 staff) were given two years longer to comply with GMPs than the biggest dietary supplements manufacturers, but it is feared many have yet to get their systems and documentation in order and would struggle...
Michael McGuffin, the president of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), tells Shane Starling why recently implemented adverse event reporting (AER) is delivering on its promise some three years down the line.
Eggshell ingredient firm ESM Technologies says that recent independent tests on its calcium ingredient have verified that heavy metal levels are well below legal limits, which the firm hopes will boost its uptake as a natural source of calcium.
A new guidance manual targeting the US dietary supplement industry aims to help firms document their manufacturing processes to ensure they meet Food and Drug Administration requirements.
Federal inspections of food manufacturing facilities have declined over time, as have regulatory actions triggered by inspections, a government auditor reported on Wednesday.
Private equity firms came in droves to Expo West looking for post-recession bargains, with dietary supplements firm in their sights. A NutraIngredients-USA.com straw poll in the supplements aisles confirmed acquisition offers were as abundant as natural...
The Major League Players Association has added 21 products to its ‘Dangerous Contaminated Supplements’ list to bring the total number of blacklisted products to 104.
John Gay, the executive director and CEO of the Washington DC-based Natural Product Association (NPA), commends industry for the lobbying effort that has led to Republican Senator John McCain agreeing to alter his highly unpopular Bill.
In this US regulatory round-up, New York-based food and drug attorney, Marc Ullman unpicks the reformed position of Republican Senator John McCain on the regulations governing dietary supplements.
Arizona Republican Senator, John McCain, has indicated he may withdraw support for the Bill he sponsored in February that would have severely amended the way the US dietary supplements industry is regulated.
Texan omega-3 supplier Omega Protein Corporation says its offerings meet international regulatory requirements, including the strict contaminants rules set out in California’s Proposition 65.
Groups representing fish oil suppliers have defended the safety record of the multi-billion dollar omega-3 source in the face of legal action mounted in a San Francisco court.
Food manufacturers aspiring to ethically sound practices should seek ingredient quality assurance, says US Pharmacopeia, the standards-setting authority behind the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC).
Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona has issued a statement criticizing “lobbyists” of falsely attacking the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010 he introduced at the beginning of the month, which seeks to amend DSHEA in several fundamental ways.