Regulations

FDA teams up with other agencies to tighten inspections of IMF shipments

03-Nov-2020 By Hank Schultz

The US Food and Drug Administration has signed an MOU with other federal agencies to improve the search and seizure of illegal products entering the country via International Mail Facilities.

Spanish agency approves use of term 'probiotic' on food and supplements

02-Nov-2020 By Nikki Hancocks

The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has announced the term “probiotic” should be accepted on food and food supplement labels sold in the country, in accordance with the Mutual Recognition Principle.

NutraCast Podcast: Nutraveris CEO Cédric Bourges on new US compliance platform

25-Sep-2020 By Danielle Masterson

Nutraveris, a software firm that consults on regulatory affairs for nutrition and dietary supplement markets in Europe, has announced that they have launched an online platform for supplement compliance in the United States.

GanedenBC30 lands probiotic claims in Australia and New Zealand

11-Aug-2020 By Danielle Masterson

Food regulators in Australian and New Zealand have published a range of digestive health claims for probiotic GanedenBC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086).

Advocates hopeful bill will pass this month to open California to CBD in supplements and foods

04-Aug-2020 By Hank Schultz

A bill before the California State legislature would open the country’s largest market to dietary supplements and foods containing CBD, but advocates say time is running out while the machinery of state government is preoccupied with pandemic concerns.

FDA cites firm for failing to document adverse event investigations

29-Jun-2020 By Hank Schultz

A recent warning letter reiterates the importance of collecting adverse event reports in order to demonstrate full compliance with federal laws governing the manufacture and sale of dietary supplements.

FTC steps up virus claims enforcement while CSPI wants more done about Amazon sales

05-Jun-2020 By Hank Schultz

The prevalence of virus-treatment claims in the marketplace has made for both heightened enforcement from federal regulators and calls for even more action from an advocacy group regarding products sold on Amazon.

Herbalife to pay $123 million fine in tentative settlement of China bribery case

18-May-2020 By Hank Schultz

Network marketing giant Herbalife has announced an agreement in principle with US authorities over a bribery scandal in China. The reported pact, which includes a $123 million fine, was part of the company’s first quarter earnings report, which came...

Texas proposes rules for consumable hemp products

11-May-2020 By Hank Schultz

The state of Texas has proposed rules for consumable hemp products that specify processing, testing, labeling and registration requirements. While the rules are characterized as reasonable and well thought out, they represent another patch in a state-by-state...

FTC nails 10 MLMs for illegal disease treatment, earnings claims related to coronavirus crisis

27-Apr-2020 By Hank Schultz

The US Federal Trade Commission has sent 10 warning letters to network marketing companies whose participants it alleges have been making illegal COVID-19 treatment claims and earnings claims related to the pandemic crisis.

Regulatory review: Clampdown on fake online ads in South Korea, the five need-to-know new rules in APAC

16-Jan-2020 By Tingmin Koe

In this round up, we look at some of the new developments that took place in APAC’s health and nutrition regulatory space, including the South Korean authorities’ clampdown on influencers ads that made false health claims.

Bill introduced to add CBD to DSHEA’s supplement definitions

14-Jan-2020 By Hank Schultz

Building on a regulatory foundation already laid for hemp ingredients, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) has proposed a bill that would include CBD under the definition of dietary supplements found in DSHEA.

Changes to NDI process called for in paper that claims DSHEA no longer adequate to regulate industry

19-Dec-2019 By Hank Schultz

A paper published today in a prominent medical journal asserts that the law governing dietary supplements is no longer adequate to protect consumers and sweeping changes are needed to keep potentially dangerous new ingredients off the market.

Growing concerns prompt senators to urge USDA to adopt new hemp rules

27-Nov-2019 By Danielle Masterson

Sparked by proposed US Department of Agriculture regulations that would drastically alter the certification process for industrial hemp, two lawmakers from Oregon want the agency to make several changes before it finalizes rules for the US Domestic Hemp...

From the editor's desk

While unlikely, new framework for disseminating study results would improve DSHEA

15-Nov-2019 By Hank Schultz

The turmoil surrounding the CBD question has obscured other important debates, such as how to alter DHSEA is such a way that more scientific information can be conveyed to consumers.

Aussie TGA proposes to classify non-food appropriate sports supplements as ‘medicines’

11-Nov-2019 By Tingmin Koe

Australia’s national regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), is proposing to classify non-food appropriate sports supplements as therapeutic goods.

Editor's Spotlight

FDA needs new tools in face of CBD explosion, official says

08-Nov-2019 By Hank Schultz

FDA needs new tools to effectively deal with an expanding supplement marketplace, according to agency official Lowell Schiller. This is especially true when contemplating the flood of CBD products, with many more yet to come.

CBD ruckus obscures other important issues, observer says

01-Nov-2019 By Hank Schultz

Legislative challenges to dietary supplements and opportunities for regulatory fine tuning continue even as the industry is distracted, said Steve Mister of CRN.

Probiota Asia 2019

Entering China’s booming probiotics market: The six big challenges to overcome

29-Oct-2019 By Tingmin Koe

Firms which are planning to enter China’s probiotic market should take note of six key challenges surrounding the types of ingredients available for use, consumers’ understanding, and approved health claims.

Nutraveris launches AI platforms to speed European market entry for US firms

07-Oct-2019 By Hank Schultz

French consulting firm Nutraveris has launched two AI platforms aimed at helping American firms streamline entry into the markets of EU member countries.

HI / FI China

Evidence of efficacy: China’s regulator urges firms to contribute ingredient data to health food registry

04-Jul-2019 By Tingmin Koe

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) is encouraging health food firms to contribute to the expansion of the Health Food Raw Materials Directory by presenting evidence to support the functional efficacy of ingredients to the unit.

China direct selling: All 91 firms summoned to regulator meeting amid ‘100-day’ clampdown

06-Feb-2019 By Tingmin Koe

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Ministry of Commerce summoned all 91 direct-selling firms operating in China to a meeting as part of the “100-day operation” to clean up the health food market.

A relief for foreign firms: China to continue present CBEC regulatory framework, more pilot zones introduced

26-Nov-2018 By Tingmin Koe

China will not implement a new set of cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) regulations in January next year and will instead continue with existing regulations.