A small study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology has confirmed links between the herbal weight loss supplement Hydroxycut, and liver problems.
National public health association Health Canada has backed a report which recommends closer monitoring of adverse reactions to Herbal Medicinal Products (HMP).
“The time has come for lawmakers to re-evaluate the DSHEA,” is the conclusion of a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine academic in a recent report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Industry groups and legal experts have condemned the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010 as an unnecessary threat to existing legislation that is already empowered to ensure dietary supplements in the United States are safe.
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is reviewing the status of the weight loss product, Hydroxycut, which has been linked to liver problems.
Several American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and American Botanical Council (ABC) members have been contacted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) seeking information about the marketing of herbal products with an emphasis on new dietary...
In a world with a chronic ‘globesity’ problem spreading beyond western shores to places like India and China, products that promise to help individuals manage their weight via calorie control, fat burning, satiety, or some other mechanism, enjoy rampant...
Health Canada is “monitoring the situation” after four of six black cohosh supplement products were found to contain related herbs, but not black cohosh itself.
The Food and Drug Administration’s commitment to greater transparency is bearing fruit in the dietary supplements area, with the availability of GMP 483 reports providing valuable insights into potential GMP pitfalls.
In the fifth and final installment of this DSHEA special, Frank Jaksch, the president and chief executive officer of Californian-based botanicals reference provider, Chromadex, outlines why he thinks current GMP inspection methodologies are unlikely to...
In part two of this DSHEA special, Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council, outlines why he believes DSHEA is a victim of the “erroneous negative view” that it limits the power of the FDA and can’t control rogue...
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.
