Food

White beetle inspired natural pigment offers replacement for titanium dioxide

28-Sep-2022 By Nicola Gordon-Seymour

Cambridge-based biotech start-up, Impossible Materials, has developed a sustainable cellulose-derived white pigment to replace “unsafe” titanium dioxide (TiO2) across food and pharma industries.

FDA formally announces NAC enforcement discretion, but legal hangover remains

21-Apr-2022 By Hank Schultz

The US Food and Drug Administration declared today that it will exercise enforcement discretion on the use of NAC. It also said that it is ‘likely’ to make a rule that would formalize the legal use of the compound in finished dietary supplements.

USP commentary sounds safety, quality alarm on delta-8 THC

03-Dec-2021 By Hank Schultz

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has published a commentary raising potential safety and quality control concerns about the delta-8 THC products flooding the market. The document also raised issues with other cannabinoids that are being isolated...

Karallief finds statistically significant benefits for liver health blend

30-Nov-2021 By Hank Schultz

Indian/American company Karallief has released research results that shows an Ayurvedic herbal blend it has developed improves liver health in subjects with mild to moderate markers of liver distress.

Likely new FDA Commissioner's experience seen as plus by industry

15-Oct-2021 By Hank Schultz

Industry stakeholders have welcomed the news that the Biden Adminstration is reportedly ready to name Dr. Robert Califf, MD as the new FDA Commissioner, given that he has prior experience at the Agency during the Obama years.

New research will place D-ribose atop ‘mitochondrial health’ pyramid, expert says

17-Aug-2021 By Hank Schultz

Thirty years after the launch of Bioenergy Ribose, the ingredient’s manufacturer says new research is expanding the view of its effects in the cell. This could lead to a new ‘mitochondrial health’ category, with D-ribose as one of the key players, a...

Innovations in delivery systems

Liposomes, micelles, phytosomes all compete to boost bioavailability of hard to absorb compounds

20-Feb-2020 By Hank Schultz

Interest continues in enhanced delivery systems that can make hard to absorb ingredients more readily available. Various forms of liposomal and emulsification approaches have been taken.

PROBIOTA 2020

Microbiota masters: Gut health at interface of food and mood

03-Feb-2020 By Will Chu

The microbiota is at the interface of food and mood, according to a gut health expert, who is keen to establish whether the microbiota can influence food choice, motivation and reward.

Satiety makes a comeback in weight management

22-Jan-2020 By Hank Schultz

Promoting satiety as a weight management strategy has had a checkered career, but the concept is regaining some acceptance as a viable way to help consumers battle the bulge.

Bias inherent in company funded research calls value of evidence into question, critic maintains

01-Oct-2019 By Hank Schultz

The results of company funded research are so predictable that the value of the studies is greatly reduced, a prominent critic of the practice says.

Special Report — How to tackle Australia's obesity epidemic: Coca-Cola Amatil, Fonterra and Nestlé have their say

21-Aug-2018 By Gary Scattergood

Australia is in the midst of an obesity crisis, with two-thirds of adults and a quarter of children overweight or obese. But what do some of the nation's largest food firms believe can be done to tackle the problem, and what role should they themselves...

Consumer acceptance: Novel probiotics are beneficial, but the food industry is 'its own worst enemy' on GM technologies

22-Feb-2018 By Nathan Gray

Efforts to mine for hugely beneficial new strains of probiotics are gaining momentum across the globe, but the food industry is its own worst enemy when it comes to aiding consumer acceptance of new technologies, according to experts at the recent IPA...

FDA to delay enforcement on four FSMA rules

08-Jan-2018 By Hank Schultz

Some of the provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act will be delayed in implementation while FDA works through potential problems that were identified in the comments phase, the agency announced last week.

Food start-up bets big on algae: ‘It’s inevitable that algae will become a larger part of the food supply in the future’

02-Oct-2017 By Elaine Watson

What kind of food company names itself ‘nonfood’? The kind that wants to start a conversation, at the very least, says founder Sean Raspet, an artist turned flavorist who used to work at Soylent, and clearly shares that brand’s interest in redefining...

Ethical Naturals uses extraction expertise on new monk fruit sweetener

01-Aug-2017 By Hank Schultz

Seeing a looming opportunity, dietary ingredients supplier Ethical Naturals has brought a new monk fruit sweetener ingredient to market that it says uses the same technology that it applies to its botanical extracts.

DolCas gets ‘good day letter’ from FDA for GRAS status of BCM- 95 curcumin

28-Jul-2017

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a ‘No Questions’ response letter to DolCas BioTech, LLC, for its BCM-95 turmeric extract.

Glyphosate joins Prop 65 list, but what does this mean for packaged food manufacturers?

06-Jul-2017 By Elaine Watson

Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide RoundUp) will be added to California's Prop 65 list on July 7, 2017, meaning warning labels will be required from July 2018. But what, if anything, does this mean for packaged foods that might...

AHPA, CRN suggest tweaks, wholesale overhauls of manufacturing regs

03-Apr-2017 By Hank Schultz

A call from the U.S. Commerce Department for suggestions on streamlining manufacturing regulations has generated responses from industry trade organizations, with the different tacks the suggestions take reflecting those organizations’ membership.

NATURAL PRODUCTS NEW ZEALAND SUMMIT 2017

‘Clean and green’: Australian and New Zealand functional honey products continue to buzz in China

29-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Natural products with functional claims such as honey continue to face a bright future as both a food and a therapeutic product, not least in China where demand is expected to soar.

Human nutrition trends are translating to pets, says CEO of The Honest Kitchen

06-Mar-2017 By Adi Menayang

From Ayurvedic botanicals to whole food nutrient sources, more US pet owners in urban and coastal areas are looking past the pellets, says pet wellness expert Lucy Postins.

Trump’s agriculture priorities should include funding for research, technology & nutrition

07-Feb-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

With the new administration comes new opportunities for the food and beverage industry, from agriculture and scientists to manufacturers and public health advocates, to make their priorities heard by collectively raising their voices, stakeholders argued...

India’s new functional food and supplements rules: The key requirements every firm needs to know

07-Dec-2016 By Gary Scattergood

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued its long-awaited rules for functional foods and supplements – publishing a 79-page set of criteria on its website.

Novel fungi antioxidant l-ergothioneine is safe: EFSA

21-Nov-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said l-ergothioneine is safe for use in food and supplements in a novel food evaluation that settles EU member state fears it may increase the risk of diabetes mellitus and inflammatory diseases like Crohn's...

Highlights from the Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute's 2016 Thought Leaders Consortium

‘There’s a big & growing interest in personalized nutrition’: Expert

02-Nov-2016 By Stephen Daniells

Interest in personalized nutrition and how it pertains to wellness is growing, and companies are springing up that are focused on tailoring food to individual measurements, says Dr Nathan Price from the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB).

Not just chocolate or cherry: Kerry aims to bring more flavor to nutritional applications

01-Nov-2016 By Adi Menayang

Mango and chimichurri-flavored products in the nutritional food aisle? Flavor and nutrition content don’t have to be mutually exclusive, said Kerry VP of nutrition Jennifer Intagliata. 

Comments in FDA docket reveals consumers’ shifting perceptions of ‘healthy’

01-Nov-2016 By Elaine Watson

If the FDA’s decision to wade into the ‘natural’ debate seemed like an act of sadomasochism, its decision to re-examine the criteria underpinning ‘healthy’ claims on food labels looks set to be equally painful, judging by the first wave of public comments...

Campbell Soup bets big on personalized nutrition with $32m investment in Habit

26-Oct-2016 By Elaine Watson

Campbell Soup is investing $32m in Habit, a personalized nutrition and meal delivery company led by Plum Organics founder Neil Grimmer set to launch in 2017. 

Probiotics to help drive 44% rise in APAC functional foods market by 2026

28-Sep-2016 By Gary Scattergood

The functional food ingredients market in Asia Pacific is being tipped to rise from $2.85bn at the end of 2016 to $5.04bn in 2026 with probiotics projected to be the fastest growing segment over the forecast period 

PLMA quizzes 1,839 Millennials aged 20-29 on food and shopping habits

12 things you need to know about the eating and shopping habits of Millennials

23-Sep-2016 By Elaine Watson

How do Millennials think about food, cooking, shopping and eating out? To find out, the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) commissioned Surveylab to conduct a nationwide online survey of 1,839 Americans (931 women, 908 men) aged between 20...

Self-affirmed GRAS omitted from new NDI draft guidance

18-Aug-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The devil is in the detail, and one detail easily missed in the new draft guidance for new dietary ingredient notifications is that self-affirmed GRAS is no longer mentioned as an ‘alternative’ to an NDI notification.

What is natural? Over to you, FDA...

10-May-2016 By Elaine Watson

The comment period for the FDA’s probe into ‘natural’ claims has closed, leaving the agency with the unenviable task of sifting through a mammoth pile of submissions from thousands of stakeholders weighing in on the most contentious word in food marketing....

Vegan meal replacement makers want to reach underserved populations by using hip hop tie-in

20-Apr-2016 By Hank Schultz

VeganSmart, a plant-based line of meal replacements, is penetrating areas plagued with malnutrition via a unique marketing vehicle—the power of hip hop.

Food Vision Asia: Be part of a unique US delegation

13-Apr-2016

Are you looking to explore the Asian market for new business opportunities? Food Vision Asia is looking for individuals who are interested in forming a delegation to represent US trade interests, and form new commercial relationships within Asia’s food...

'Our enforcement priorities will focus on willful violations of the labeling law'

Vermont AG offers 6-month safe harbor on GMO labeling enforcement

29-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

In a memorandum on the new GMO labeling law coming into force in Vermont in July, attorney general William H. Sorrell says enforcement action will “focus on willful violations of the labeling law” and that there will be a six-month safe harbor period...

Solazyme rebrands as TerraVia, raises $28m as part of plan to focus on food, nutrition, personal care: 'We’re redefining the future of food'

11-Mar-2016 By Elaine Watson

Microalgae ingredients pioneer Solazyme has unveiled plans to spin off its industrial products division and focus exclusively on food, feed and personal care, under a new name: TerraVia.

China direct

Food safety chief: FDA struggling to cope with scale of adulteration

07-Mar-2016 By RJ Whitehead

China’s food authorities are unable to keep up with cases of chemical and drug adulteration, according to the head of its Food and Drug Administration.

Diet meals step-up with more premium, gourmet offerings, test reveals

19-Jan-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Diet delivery meal services are raising the bar to create more gourmet appearing and tasty meals in a bid to attract more consumers who traditionally have shied away from frozen entrees, suggests the results of a recent consumer taste test.

Special Edition: Transparency in Supplements

Experts say transparency gains momentum even if consumers might not fully understand concept

15-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

Marketing experts agree that the concept of transparency is gaining steam among consumers. Even if shoppers don’t always understand what the word means, the concept isn’t going away.

Trends food businesses should take note of for 2016

23-Dec-2015 By Adi Menayang

Consumer trends-analyst Phil Lempert offers a remedy to brand agnosticism, the trend he says “food businesses should be most worried about.”

Feature

Foodpolis to offer companies a route to China from scandal-free Korea

14-Dec-2015 By RJ Whitehead in Iksan, South Korea

An afternoon in the company of a provincial Korean mayor clothed in silky blue national dress isn’t the standard recipe for a Tuesday. But he is insistent, and it’s time well spent when you consider the importance to the local economy of what Iksan’s...

70,000-strong ingredients database launched

11-Dec-2015 By Shane STARLING

An app has been launched containing 70,000 ingredients of all varieties which seeks to accelerate R&D across the food and supplements industries.

What is natural? First wave of comments are in (and hint at the challenge facing the FDA)

01-Dec-2015 By Elaine Watson

The FDA will have its work cut out when it comes to coming up with a workable definition of ‘natural’, if the comments submitted to the FDA thus far are anything to go by. 

FDA denies GMO labeling petition: What matters is the characteristics of the food itself, not the process by which it was made

23-Nov-2015 By Elaine Watson

The FDA has rejected a citizen’s petition calling for mandatory labeling of foods from genetically engineered crops, arguing that labels are not warranted unless there is a material difference in the safety or nutritional profile of the foods in question.

What is 'natural'? FDA finally weighs into the debate

FDA seeks comments on use of the term ‘natural’ on food labels

10-Nov-2015 By Elaine Watson

Having studiously avoided this food labeling minefield for years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has surprised many in the trade by seeking comments on the definition of a word that has launched a thousand class action lawsuits (well almost):...

Consumers will pay more for products with additional information on ingredients, allergy, survey finds

06-Oct-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Manufacturers could help restore consumers' waning faith in the quality and safety of food and beverages, and potentially command a higher price point, by providing consumers with more information about how products are made and ingredients are sourced,...

Food Vision USA: How do you maintain a challenger brand mentality as a mainstream player?

30-Sep-2015 By Elaine Watson

‘Challenger’ brands – anarchic, agile brands which disrupt established categories – are Davids outmaneuvering industry Goliaths. And Chobani is probably the perfect example, going from zero to a billion dollars in less than a decade. But what happens...

FSMA poised to sweep dietary ingredient suppliers into regulatory fold, expert says

28-Sep-2015 By Hank Schultz

The biggest change in food regulation in the US in the past 75 years is poised to sweep up the suppliers of dietary ingredients, an expert says.

NSF's new GMO certification leverages companies' existing systems, exec says

22-Sep-2015 By Hank Schultz

Demand for GMO certification services has been growing faster than supply, and NSF has responded to that demand with its new True North certification program, said the scheme’s director.

Snacks now comprise 50% of all eating occasions

Eating alone, continuous snacking and the slow death of the primary shopper: 10 things you need to know about the changing American consumer

11-Aug-2015 By Elaine Watson

American households - and eating habits - are changing, and food marketers need to catch up, says the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) in its 2015 US Grocery Shopper Trends report. Here are 10 things that caught our eye...

Special Edition: Innovations in Delivery Systems

Fortified gel printed onto ready meals set for rapid global commercialization, says company

24-Jul-2015 By Stephen Daniells

A new generation of restaurant quality ready meals targeting seniors is set for commercial launch this year, with a patented technology allowing fortified gels to be printed onto the food.