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TOP STORY Hemp Farming Act of 2018 introduced in U.S. Senate New Hope Network Supporters call the new national hemp legislation a “dream wish list” for all things cannabis. The bill would cement—and expand upon—the gains seen from the 2014 Farm Bill, which offered a limited opportunity to grow and market hemp products, in particular, hemp oil-derived CBD, which is sweeping the nation. Read more→ UNPA NEWS
PCQI training in Lehi, Utah, June 5-7It's the last scheduled UNPA PCQI training of 2018! Registration is open for the June 5-7 training in Lehi, Utah, which meets FDA's PCQI training requirements. Learn who must comply, course agenda and additional information at the UNPA website. UNPA Asia Report: Consumer trends in the U.S. supplement marketplaceThe idea of self-directed healthcare or the preventative approach to health through the use of supplements is a main motivator within the United States among all age groups, according to the 2018 market research by the Natural Marketing Institute. This article from a recent UNPA Asia Report provides insights into increasing usage among age groups and widening reasons for supplement use. Less than three weeks away: The 2018 UNPA Members' Retreat!There's still time to register for the 2018 UNPA Members' Retreat, May 8-10, in Park City, Utah. Click on the link above to access the agenda and lodging information and to register. Recently posted at unpa.com:
FDA guidance calls pure caffeine adulteratedPure or highly concentrated caffeine sold in powder and liquid forms is considered a safety issue and has been linked to two deaths. Warning letters in 2015 and 2016 labeled the sales unlawful, but the new guidance details the prohibition. Regulatory lawyers assess FTC in Republican Administration, impact on dietary supplementsWhile the environment at FTC has been more business-friendly under the Trump administration’s first year, regulatory lawyer Ivan Wasserman of UNPA member Amin Talati Upadhye says it remains to be seen how the new FTC commissioners will treat dietary supplement advertising issues.LEGISLATIVE Senators introduce food labeling billThree U.S. senators have introduced a bill to reduce confusing and misleading information on food packages. The Food Labeling Modernization Act addresses front-of-package labeling and misleading health claims and also requires updates to the Nutrition Facts Panel and the ingredient list, lawmakers said. ONHA lobbies legislators for new health claim, linking vitamin D with reduced preterm birthThe Organic and Natural Health Association recently visited Capitol Hill to ask Congress for help reducing the more than 1,000 preterm births that occur daily in North America by supporting its FDA petition for a health claim declaring the link between higher vitamin D levels and decreased risk of preterm birth.LEGAL 'Only regulators may premise false advertising cases on an alleged lack of substantiation'An amicus brief from CRN supports the defendants, Costco Wholesale and NBTY, in a class action suit, in which a consumer group alleged that claims made by the two companies about the health benefits associated with gingko biloba products are false and misleading. UFC fighter sues supplement distributorOstarine is at the heart of a lawsuit filed by a UFC fighter. Ostarine is part of a category of drugs known as selective androgen receptor modulators.M&A ACTIVITY P&G to buy German Merck's consumer unit for $4.2 billionProcter & Gamble Co.agreed to buy Merck's KGaA's consumer-health business for 3.4 billion euros ($4.2 billion) to bolster growth, betting that vitamins and decongestants can hasten its comeback. The deal gives the maker of Crest toothpaste a stable of products with sales growth of 6 percent in the past two years. Eurofins boosts French food-testing market shareUNPA member Eurofins Scientific has acquired Protec Group’s water and food testing businesses. The deal reinforces Eurofins food testing position in France, with the addition of its first such lab in the Southwest region. Chinese private equity firms take majority stake in Aussie supplement brandTwo Chinese private equity firms, JIC Investment and Tamar Alliance Fund, have bought a majority stake in Australian vitamin manufacturer Nature’s Care for a reported A$800 million. Algatech acquires majority stake in algae producer Supreme HealthAlgatech said that this investment will enable it to supply China and the Asia-Pacific markets with more astaxanthin and other algae-based products, including Supreme’s Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae strain. GLOBAL REGULATORY EU dosage regulations could eliminate the therapeutics effect of vitamin supplementsA tendency for EU member states to go it alone with individual maximum levels for vitamins and supplements without considering the wider implications of their actions, could have long-term negative impacts on consumer health, according to executive director of the Alliance for Natural Health, Robert Verkerk, Ph.D. EFSA assesses safety of green tea catechinsEFSA has assessed the safety of green tea catechins from dietary sources, following concerns regarding their possible harmful effects on the liver. EFSA concluded that catechins from green tea infusions and similar drinks are generally safe. When taken as food supplements, however, catechin doses at or above 800mg/day may pose health concerns. Trademarks, branding and product names: An unregulated part of the probiotics market?Existing regulations that could allow companies to produce multiple formulations of probiotic strains under the same brand name or trademark should be altered to allow consumers and medical professionals to better understand the benefits of specific strains or formulations, according to one expert.BOTANICALS Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program issues pomegranate laboratory guidance documentThe ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program has released a Laboratory Guidance Document on pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice and extracts. The predominant adulteration issue reported for pomegranate juice is dilution with lower-cost fruit juices, but undeclared colorants also have been reported. In the dietary supplement category, the main problem seems to be the addition of ellagic acid from extraneous (i.e., non-pomegranate) sources. AHP releases monograph standard for motherwort aerial partsThe American Herbal Pharmacopoeia has released its quality control standards and therapeutic compendium for the botanical dietary supplement Motherwort aerial Parts (Leonurus cardiaca;L.quinquelobatus). Each monograph establishes standards for assuring authenticity, purity, and quality control of the monographed botanical.OMEGA-3s Study: Omega-3 from fish oil supplements no better than placebo for dry eyeOmega-3 fatty acid supplements taken orally proved no better than placebo at relieving symptoms or signs of dry eye, according to the findings of a well-controlled trial funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. The paper was published online April 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine. GOED says results of null trial have been overstated, noting the study has clouded the issue of whether omega-3s can ameliorate the symptoms of dry-eye disease.INNOVATION DSM leads $3.5 million investment in personalized pill-free supplement innovationA startup company, Tespo, that is building a countertop appliance that dispenses a liquid shot filled with premium nutrients, just closed a Series A investment round of $3.5 million. The investment was led by DSM Venturing, the world's largest nutritional ingredient supplier.UNPA MEMBER NEWS Taking the Mystery Out of Medical FoodsThis report from Windrose Partners looks at the medical foods market's growth to a multi-billion-dollar business, which continues to expand in the U.S. and around the world. Globally, the market was valued at $12.3 billion in 2015 and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 6.9 percent to $24.4 billion by 2025. But for products to qualify, there are many regulatory factors to consider.CANNABIS/CBD CBD in supplements leads to stormy session at industry meetingDoes CBD belong in dietary supplements? FDA says no and many industry stakeholders who sounded off at the recent Oxford International Conference on Science of Botanicals at NCNPR, were inclined to agree. Trump, Gardner strike deal to avoid crackdown on Colorado marijuanaPresident Donald Trump says he will not let Attorney General Jeff Sessions undermine Colorado's thriving marijuana industry. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., had held up a variety of Justice Department nominations over the Trump administration's decision to pull back a memo from then-Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole that had restricted federal enforcement of drug laws against marijuana.PERSONALIZED MEDICINE Personalized nutrition omega-3 testingEasy-to-take assessments, such as the Omega-3 Index test, allow consumers to identify, correct and maintain healthy levels of certain nutrients. Genomics: Rising the future wave of supplementsPersonalization and diagnostics are going to vet out what’s real and what’s not in the supplement industry, according to industry veteran Tom Aarts. In this session from Expo West, Aarts and Roberta Kline of Genoma International clarify this exciting area of science that’s changing how we look at health.SUSTAINABILITY Krill oil withdrawal by retailers opens up sustainability dialogueU.K. health and beauty retailer Boots has become the latest target of a campaign by Greenpeace to halt sale of omega-3 supplements derived from krill oil and fished in vulnerable marine environments.MARKET RESEARCH Motivation for supplementation: What drives supplement use in pregnancy?Supplementation provides insurance against inadequate intakes from foods and is considered by many women an easier, more reliable source of nutrients, suggests a research team in Australia. Herbal beauty products market could near $140 billion by 2025Consumers would rather slather products on their face, skin and hair that aren’t weighed down by synthetic materials for fear of possible side effects. According to a new report from Coherent Market Insights, the global herbal beauty products market could reach $136 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of nearly 5 percent from 2017 to 2025. How are U.S. consumers thinking about digestive health? Hartman Group weighsinFor some consumers, digestive health is about avoiding foods that make them feel bloated or lethargic, for some, it’s about ‘roughage’ and ‘regularity,’ while for others, it’s about keeping their gut happy with prebiotics and probiotics, according to the Hartman Group study. Analyst’s Take: Omnichannel dynamics in natural products industryWith all the buzz around e-commerce, it is easy to envision a doomsday when brick and mortar retail is nonexistent. However, the numbers show that this is not the future in store for the natural and organic products industry. The expanding global sports nutrition marketThe growing sports nutrition market is fueled by a younger consumer base focused on connectivity and clean labels. RESEARCH Liver injuries attributed to supplements level off after years-long riseThe percentage of liver injury events attributable to what are characterized as herbal dietary supplements is holding steady at about 20 percent of all events, according to Victor Navarro, M.D., director of the Drug Induced Liver Injury Network, a national reporting system linking six clinics across the country. Cell study links iron to certain cancer markersThe increased formation of a known biomarker for colon cancer has been linked to two forms of iron commonly used in supplements, say researchers from the U.K. and Sweden. Vitamin D and omega-3 together may help mental illnessVitamin D and omega-3 could work together to improve cognitive function and social behavior with particular relevance for battling ADHD, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to researchers from the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute. Review suggests healthy adults may not need probiotics supplementationThere is inadequate evidence for long-lasting changes to the gut microbiota, suggests a new study in Nature, which argues supplementation only results in a transient improvement of supplement specific bacteria. Study says pine bark extract may ease post-flight symptoms such as swelling, jet lagResearchers in Italy found that subjects who took Pycnogenol supplements, a branded form of French maritime pine bark extract, had less swelling in lower legs during travel compared to control groups in which participants wore stockings or did in-flight exercises. Evidence supports omega-3 supplements for sharper vision in children: Meta-analysisSupplementing the diet of mothers and infants with omega-3 fatty acids, may boost visual acuity and measure of both mental and psychomotor development, according to a meta-analysis of 38 trials. Comments are closed.
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