Dietary Supplement

AlgaeLife successful with NDI petition with FDA for astaxanthin ingredient

06-Apr-2016

BGG subsidiary AlgaeLife Sciences, Inc. has successfully petitioned the US FDA with a New Dietary Ingredients notification (NDI) for its flagship product AstaZine Natural Astaxanthin. 

FDA warns 7 companies over methylsynephrine

04-Apr-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued warning letters to 7 companies regarding a total of 8 products marketed as dietary supplements and containing methylsynephrine as a dietary ingredient.

Sen McCaskill asks DoJ for enforcement records on dietary supplements

30-Mar-2016 By Stephen Daniells

Senator Claire McCaskill, the ranking member of the US Senate Special Committee on Aging, is seeking a comprehensive list of enforcement actions taken by the Department of Justice related to the dietary supplement industry.

Research on holes in diet informed Dr Low Dog's formulation of new line of Megafood multis

25-Mar-2016 By Hank Schultz

Multivitamin manufacturers are all about differentiation.  How do you stand out from the multitude? Megafood believes it has found the answer with a new line of multis launched with Dr Tieraona Low Dog.

Danish company Reconpharma brings supplements for soldiers to US

24-Mar-2016 By Adi Menayang

The nutraceutical start-up out of Denmark markets dietary supplements to “help manage and prevent the physical and psychological pressure of persons serving in the military.”

US AG Lynch’s comments on dietary supplements ‘nothing to worry about,’ experts say

21-Mar-2016 By Adi Menayang

We asked some industry experts what they thought of Attorney General Lynch’s comments on dietary supplements made two weeks ago. Most were unimpressed, but also not worried.

Prestigious Award Ceremony, Geneva, Switzerland, May 11, 2016

NutraIngredients Awards finalists announced. 11 categories, 33 potential winners

18-Mar-2016

More than 120 high-quality entries made choosing finalists difficult but our crack judging panel have done it, and 33 stand-out products and ingredients have made the final cut in the second NutraIngredients Awards.

List of food, supplement facilities registered with FDA misses firms that avoid filing, expert says

17-Mar-2016 By Hank Schultz

More than half of food facilities currently registered with the Food and Drug Administration are located outside the US. But that figure might disguise a number of unregistered domestic facilities, according to a recent analysis.

Harkin's message to industry: Vigilance needed, but best days are ahead

15-Mar-2016 By Hank Schultz

Former Sen. Tom Harkin has a message for the dietary supplements industry: Despite challenges from law enforcement officials, legislators and hostile media stories, the best days are ahead. 

FDA warns companies with products listing Acacia rigidula as a dietary ingredient

15-Mar-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued five warning letters about products containing Acacia rigidula, which it considers a new dietary ingredient (NDI) lacking a successful NDI notification.

US AG Lynch discusses protecting consumers from “unsafe dietary supplements”

09-Mar-2016 By Stephen Daniells

“A waste of money”, “not subject to testing by the FDA”, and “made from untested synthetic chemicals from China” are just some of the points made by Attorney General Loretta Lynch in a new video.

Efforts to standardize documentation practices detailed at UNPA meeting

08-Mar-2016 By Hank Schultz

Trying to solve the supply chain issues facing the dietary supplement industry is complicated by the muddled state of documentation practices, but there are efforts underway to address the problem.

Sabinsa research supports safety of LactoSpore ingredient

07-Mar-2016 By Adi Menayang

Though Sabinsa’s B. coagulans MTCC 5856 probiotic strain, marketed as LactoSpore, has been in the dietary supplement marketplace for 15 years, the latest study adds more depth to its clinical evidence. 

SmartyPants attracts capital infusion, extends line with women's and men's gummy formulas

04-Mar-2016 By Hank Schultz

SmartyPants Vitamins is expanding its range of gummy vitamins with specific women’s and men’s formulations. The company’s success in this product category recently attracted an infusion of private investment capital.

Meth precursors, money laundering & mail fraud: Principal of NJ ingredient companies pleads guilty to DoJ charges

02-Mar-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The principal of a series of New Jersey-based dietary ingredient companies has pleaded guilty in connection with the sale of methamphetamine precursor chemicals, a separate scheme to defraud purchasers of dietary supplements and money laundering.

Thorne beefs up personalized testing with new partnership

01-Mar-2016 By Hank Schultz

Thorne Research is expanding the analytical tools it offers practitioners and consumers with the addition of microbiome assays and genomic testing in a collaboration with Petrichor Analytics.

Should EU mimic US supplement label database?

29-Feb-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

A US trade group has made moves to increase transparency and traceability in the supplement market by requiring all its members to submit product labels. Should the EU be considering similar action?

AHPA, CRN, UNPA present unified front on self regulation initiatives

26-Feb-2016 By Hank Schultz

Three of the trade organizations representing the dietary supplement business came together in Utah this week to lend support to plans to extend the industry’s self regulation capabilities.

Theacrine and caffeine combination supplement may impact energy and mood

23-Feb-2016 By Adi Menayang

A randomized, double-blind study on 20 young men and women found that ingesting TheaTrim, a supplement with theacrine and caffeine, favorably impacted subjective feelings of energy and mood.

What's driving supplement growth? Ageing, fitness & self-care

17-Feb-2016 By Will Chu

Recent years have seen an upsurge in supplement use. Products that were only available in specialist health food stores have gone mainstream, available alongside groceries in the supermarket and online. 

Were the NY AG actions a tipping point for transparency in dietary supplements?

16-Feb-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The New York Attorney General’s controversial probe into dietary supplements has hastened the conversation about transparency, experts told attendees to our recent Transparency in Dietary Supplements forum.

Make compendial standards compulsory to improve consistency & quality of supplements, says USP paper

15-Feb-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The quality and consistency of dietary ingredients and supplements would improve by “universal adoption” of the USP–NF science-based public standards, says a new paper.

Probiotic gummy manufacturer studies product’s stability

15-Feb-2016 By Adi Menayang

Florida-based probiotic manufacturer Viva 5 contends that a study of their proprietary process demonstrates the “long-term stability” of probiotic gummies.

Major product liability insurance provider exits dietary supplements business

11-Feb-2016 By Hank Schultz

A major product liability provider is exiting the dietary supplement field, but observers of insurance trends said it’s unlikely to have big impact on insurance rates or availability.

One day to go! NutraIngredients-USA’s Transparency in Dietary Supplements forum

10-Feb-2016 By Stephen Daniells

Experts from CRN, UNPA, NOW Foods, FoodState / MegaFood, and The Shelton Group will discuss the vital issue of transparency during our free-to-attend online forum. There is still time to register to attend this important discussion!

FDA sends warning letters to 8 companies marketing CBD products

10-Feb-2016 By Hank Schultz

The Food and Drug Administration has sent eight warning letters out to companies marketing dietary supplements containing CBD. The warning letters cite illegal drug claims and also hinge upon the existence of CBD as the active ingredient in two drugs...

GOED EXCHANGE 2016

Traceability, a big topic at recent GOED Exchange meeting, to be covered in impending online Transparency Forum

08-Feb-2016 By Hank Schultz

Traceability and verifiability were big topics at the GOED Exchange meeting that took place last week in the Canary Islands. These topics will be addressed in an online forum later this week hosted by NutraIngredients-USA.

Industry must engage AGs early to reduce litigation risk, experts advise

05-Feb-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Proactively educating attorneys general and candidates running for the position about the positive attributes and contributions of dietary supplements could help industry stay out of their litigation cross-hairs in the future, advise two former AGs.

ChromaDex closes deal to place Niagen in wide array of national chains

28-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

ChromaDex has hit another milestone in the market penetration of its Niagen ingredient with a deal that will put it into a number of national retail chains.

Online retailer Swanson acquired by private equity firm

26-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

One of the dietary supplement industry’s largest online retailers, Swanson Health Products, has been acquired by acquired by a private equity firm.

AHPA, UNPA hire former state AG to make industry's case at meetings of state officials

22-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

The American Herbal Products Association and the United Natural Products Alliance have teamed up to engage state attorneys general who as a group have become more active in regards to the dietary supplement industry.

CBC retracts anti-supplements story based on faulty tests

22-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has retracted a report it aired recently alleging spiking and missing ingredients in supplements because it was based on faulty test results.

Special edition: Transparency in Dietary Supplements

Is a transparent global supply chain the Holy Grail?

21-Jan-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The dietary supplements industry must be transparent about transparency to ensure that it transparency really does make a difference and boost consumer confidence in the products, say industry experts.

Special Edition: Transparency in Dietary Supplements

Customers demanding transparency from supplement brands, retailers say

21-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

The notion that food consumers are more committed to transparency than are supplement users is not borne out at the retail level, experts from two natural channel retailers say.

Special edition: Transparency in Dietary Supplements

Should transparency be a priority for the supplements industry?

20-Jan-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The NY AG’s probe into herbal supplements has done a lot to change the industry conversation over transparency, and some practices by some industry members cannot continue because they jeopardize the entire business community, say industry experts.

Frontline TV segment bashing supplements called 'patently dishonest' by NPA chief

20-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

The national investigative TV program Frontline segment that aired last night was a rehash of familiar criticisms of the supplement industry, and was in part “patently dishonest,” according to NPA executive director Dan Fabricant, who was quoted at several...

Article that equates supplement industry with Big Tobacco called 'reckless' by former state AG

18-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

An article in a scientific journal that equates the dietary supplement industry’s interaction with regulators to that of the tobacco industry has been called “scurrilous” and “reckless” by industry observers.

Five questions for the FDA’s new Office of Dietary Supplements, increasing State actions, and key preparations for an election year: NPA’s Fabricant looks ahead to 2016

15-Jan-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The Natural Products Association enters its 80th year as the premier organization dedicated solely to the natural products industry in 2016.  For those 80- years, our top priority has been and always will be enhancing, expanding and protecting our members’...

“A first, and necessary, step”: CRN to require members submit product labels to ODS label database

14-Jan-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) has announced it will require all of its members submit their supplement product labels to the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD).

FDA's move to seize products from foreign firms failing GMPs seen as important first step

14-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

A recent move by the Food and Drug Administration to detain products without examination from  foreign firms that have failed GMP inspections is welcome step toward "draining the swamp," said United Natural Products Alliance president Loren...

Researchers evaluate what drives young athletes to take supplements

14-Jan-2016 By Adi Menayang

Most Canadian young athletes were able to back the reason why they take common ergogenic aids. But for vitamins and minerals, plant extracts, and many other supplements they take, it’s a different story.

Plan by Durbin and Blumenthal for new supplement legislation significant but not unexpected, trade associations say

12-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

News that Senators Dick Durbin and Richard Blumenthal plan to introduce legislation for the dietary supplement industry came as no surprise to executives of industry trade associations.

Independent benchmarks show Alkemist Labs’ “commitment to the highest standards of testing”

12-Jan-2016 By Stephen DANIELLS

Alkemist Labs has achieved ISO 17025 accreditation and also announced it has met the AOAC Analytical Laboratory Accreditation Criteria Committee guidelines.

Resveratrol + exercise may lead to increased mitochondrial capacity

08-Jan-2016 By Adi Menayang

Test participants that consumed resveratrol supplementation after low-intensity exercise training experienced higher mitochondrial capacity in their forearm, says a new study.

CRN suggests improvements to national supplement label database

07-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

The Dietary Supplement Label Database could be a more useful and comprehensive tool with a few changes, the Council for Responsible Nutrition said.

Liquid formula route offers opportunity for multivitamin startup

06-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

Competition is fierce in the multivitamin space, a category dominated by the major players of the supplement industry. Pennsylvania startup Go Healthy Natural is seeking to carve a niche with additional ingredients and a more bioavailable liquid formula.

Looking Ahead at 2016? Be Prepared!

06-Jan-2016 By Steve Mister, president & CEO, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)

What a difference a year makes! Last January at this time, who in the industry would have predicted the New York Attorney General (AG) debacle in February? Or Senator Dick Durbin’s dietary supplement amendments on the defense authorization bill in May?...

NSF International acquires DNA-testing lab AuthenTechnologies

06-Jan-2016 By Adi Menayang

NSF International has acquired AuthenTechnologies in time to meet the increasing demand of DNA testing and certification. 

Product diversion is becoming more prevalent, says Nosco expert

04-Jan-2016 By Stephen Daniells

Diversion – the selling of authentic products in invalid markets, like MLM products on Amazon – is on the rise, with the healthcare practitioner and MLM channels most affected, says an expert from packaging specialists Nosco.

In a sports-crazed culture, doping scandals cast a long shadow over supplement industry

23-Dec-2015 By Hank Schultz

Doping scandals in the sports realm have had a hangover effect for dietary supplements, one longtime industry observer asserts.  In his view it has created a climate in which decision makers have more easily bought in to the narrative of a dangerously...